


You're not alone

by Jaded13wolf



Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: Daniel/OC is not the main pairing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Hurt Daniel, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Now You See Me 2 Spoilers, Physical and Psychological Abuse, Protective Daniel, Protective Dylan, Protective Jack, Protective Lula, Protective Merritt, poor daniel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-08-15 20:58:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 31
Words: 102,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8072524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaded13wolf/pseuds/Jaded13wolf
Summary: What if Daniel had another reason for wanting to get ahold of the Eye? What if it was not because he thought he could be a better leader then Dylan, but because he needed to get away from someone. Someone who wanted to hurt Daniel for his own pleasure.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, 
> 
> So this is my first story placed on AO3 so I'm still working out the kinks of being on this website. Let me know if there is any odd formatting going on and what not. 
> 
> Any spelling/Grammer errors are on me and I would appreciate it if you point them out so I can get better.
> 
> None of the NYSM cast are mine, I just like to play with them.

Chapter one 

 

Daniel flinched as Jared threw another plate at the door just beside him. Food splattering his side. 

"That tasted like fucking shit I thought you said you were going to make something good!" Jared yelled at Daniel pointing to the plate. 

"I, I, I'm sorry. I will call for take out" Daniel said moving to grab his cell when a hand reached out grabbing him in a bruising grip. 

"You better call for enough for a couple more people, I'm having friends over for poker night and I don't want them eating your cooking. You better tell your little 'Pals' that you not going over to see them also." Jared snarled yanking Daniel close spitting on his face. 

Daniel nodded looking down. "Yes, of course Jared" 

"Good now clean this place up its a pigsty and get rid of that sweater it makes you look fatter then you already are" Jared said throwing Daniel wrist away from him and leaving the room. 

Daniel brought his hand closer to his body rubbing the starting bruise while sighing. He is such an idiot. Of course Jared hated the cooking. Daniel was such a fool to think he might actually cook something edible. All he is good at is magic and even that he was starting to wonder. 

He knew he was in a toxic and abusive relationship, but what could he do? He was trapped all because Jared found out his secret. Found out that he was a horsemen and about the safe house and about Dylan all because he was an idiot and left his phone out. 

Jared held it over Daniels head threatening to tell the media all about them if Daniel tried to leave. Played on all Daniels fears and dreams. Told him how the horsemen would never trust him again because he was such a idiot. 

His relationship was not always like this. Jared was at first, a kind and considerate man. They met at a bar. Daniel trying to drown his sorrows about Henley leaving. About how he wish he could be enough for her and that she could be enough for him. 

But no, he had to go and fall for Dylan. Dylan who sent butterflies into action in Daniel stomach every time he was near. And of course the man he loved was in a relationship with a woman Daniel couldn't even hope to compete against.

In the long run Henley couldn't deal with the fact that Daniel would never love her fully like he did their boss so she left him. Jared was there and made Daniel laugh. Jared worked his way into Daniel heart making him feel that maybe he could be happy again until things started to turn sour. He played with Daniel until Daniel could not stop him and now for the last couple of months Jared started to truly abuse him. 

He rolled his wrists before moving to go clean up the mess of food from the floor and wall. While at it he called the pizza place Jared liked ordering a couple of large pizzas. Once cleaned Daniel moved to clean himself up in the bathroom. He avoided looking in the mirror as he changed, slipping into a dress shirt and pants, folding his sweater and jeans placing them into his overnight bag. He already started to shiver as he made his way to the front room where Jared was sitting watching tv. 

"I don't know how I put up with your fat body, what have you been doing eating cake and lazing about the house?" Jared sneered looking up and down Daniel body. "Not even good enough for your team that they sideline you?" 

Daniel just took it ducking his head down, wrapping his arms around his torso. If only the Eye would contact him or Dylan and give them a job. A job far from New York and far from Jared. He had planned on trying to contact them again tonight but it seemed that plan was out the window. 

The doorbell rang bringing Daniel out of his thoughts.  
"Are you going to get that dumb ass or are you too stupid to answer the door?" Jared sneered. 

Daniel moved to answer the door seeing that it was Jared friends and the pizza delivery man. None of Jared friends paid any attention to him as he paid for the pizza and took them into the front room. They only paid attention when Jared pulled Daniel into his lap and started to get handsy. 

Groping hands traveled all over, no matter how hard Daniel tried to push them away. All throughout supper and two poker games Daniel tried to get away from Jared but the man kept him firmly on his lap. 

"Hey my little boyfriend here was teasing me all day with his sweet little body, maybe you fellows can help me out" Jared said with a leer moving to pull at Daniel fly. 

Daniel eyes widen, Jared never did this before. It was alway him using Daniel, he never said anything about letting friends rape him. He started protesting trying to get away but it was no use. Jared whispered one sentence and he knew he could do nothing. 

"I'll tell everyone about you and your little horsemen" 

And with that simple saying all the fight left Daniel body leaving hatred and resignation. 

It wasn't until hours after when all Jared friends left and Jared was passed out on the couch that Daniel picked himself off the floor, pulling his clothes tight to him and crawled to the washroom to throw up and start a shower. He sat there numb for the longest time under the shower head before pulling himself up and got changed into his warmest clothes. 

He had to get out. There was no way he was going to survive staying here anymore. Not with Jared escalating like this. He would be dead in a month. 

He needed to talk to the Eye again. He slipped out the door with nary a sound before leaving to the street and heading away from the building holding his nightmare. 

He walked and walked while his fingers ran over the numbers of Dylan cell phone number. Realizing who he was about to call he froze before moving to delete the numbers. 

Dylan did not need to know that Daniel was being a weak little whiner, who was not strong enough to handle his own problems anymore. Daniel already felt weak enough and no way was he going to get Dylan into trouble. 

He dialed the number to the Eye resolutely trying to get Dylan voice out of his head. Holding the phone to his ear he listened to the prompts. Hearing the directions to where he had to go gave him something to focus on. Something for his brain to work on instead of the pain his body felt at each step. 

Meeting the Eye this time was just an annoying as it was last month in the fact that is was almost anticlimactic. He left feeling more angry and confused then anything. He made his way to his apartment. His mind running through senarios of what he could do. He needed an out now that he was not going back to Jared, but he needed to do it in a way that it would not jeopardize Dylan, or the other horsemen. 

When he saw his apartment door open his heart leapt into his throat thinking that maybe Jared was already awake and came looking for him. Instead he found a girl who, years ago pulled a hat out of a rabbit, had played around his apartment and created an elaborate guliteen. He was somewhat impressed but mostly tired, sore and cranky. He wanted to lock himself into his safe room and sleep yet this woman got in somehow and who knows what she messed around with. 

After her leaving and getting Dylan text he made his way to his bedroom to grab a few things of importance before leaving the building once more, locking the door and taking his bike. He headed to a small hotel that he used as a personal safe house, this one having the benefit of being a complete secret from everyone including Jared. 

Once in a room with the door lock tight he slumped into bed, asleep before his head even hit the pillow. 

Daniel woke to his alarm going off. Wiping a hand across his face he moved to sit up wincing at the pain that reemerged. He grabbed at his bag blindly searching for pain reliever he always carried these days. He dry swallowed two laying back trying to relax his back and legs. He got up once more this time slowly and made his way to the shower. After throughly locking the washroom door he turned on the water. Putting the temperature just on the cool side of boiling he stripped before stepping in. He let the hot water pound on his lower back as he slowly stretch working out the sore parts until he could move without wanting to wince every step. He took the soap and worked it through his short hair, another thing he hated that Jared made him suffer. 

Jared had tied him down and decided to shave him bald a couple of weeks ago. Saying he was too pretty looking and Jared did not want other people looking at him. 

"Maybe one day I will be able to grow it out if we get a new job" Daniel mused to himself. He missed his long hair, he loved it when his lovers would run their hands through it.

He checked over his body categorizing new bruises and old. They mostly centered on his upper legs and lower back but there was a few in other places that he would have to hide like the ones around his wrists and his neck from his most recent abuse. His wrists had small cuts that he carefully put cream on to prevent infections before carefully covering them. 

Getting out he got dressed, putting on more layers then strictly necessary but feeling better then he had for the last while. Feeling a barrier around him and the world. 

He covered the bruises that might be seen with makeup. No need to get the team to question what had happened. He got this. He can fool them into thinking everything was okay. That he was still hot headed and in control. 

Last thing he put on was his thick coat wrapping it tight around his body.

Grabbing his bag he checked his phone relieved that no new messages had come up since he crashed for most of the day. He made his way out of the room throwing the bag onto his back before getting on his bike and making his way through the darkness to the wearhouse that they used. 

He saw Merritt and Jack fooling around with cards and had to hide the small smile, at least his fellow horsemen were safe and enjoying the break. He rolled his eyes at Jacks act in trying to hypnotize him. Telling him not to become like Merritt with as much annoyance he could muster. Forcing himself not to laugh as Merritt try to hit him with a card but failed hopelessly. 

He hoped the two never change they let him be Danny Atlas, showman of the Horsemen, arrogant control freak, not Daniel the broken toy of Jared. 

Seeing Lula again was annoying but seeing Dylan standing there with his small smile made him even more pissed off. He was angry at the fact that Dylan brought on this newbie and that he practically left them nothing but a few acts to work on. Nothing but to stay low and don't bring attention to them. 

He sniped abit about it with Dylan but for the most part he was just glad they had gotten a job. They went over the semantics for a couple of hours ironing out the details before agreeing to meet two hours before the show to get one last go over before the start of their act. 

Daniel had stayed by the table looking over the plans not realizeing that everyone had left but Dylan. 

"How you doing?" Dylan asked coming up beside him. 

"Good, everything is good" Daniel said quickly. Not looking up from the plans. 

"Look I know your annoyed that we haven't been able to do a show for awhile but I promise you the Eye has not forgotten about us. It's just been busy" Dylan said. 

"It's not all about us, I get that. You have your career with the FBI and I'm sure it's been hard to fit in those trips to Paris. How is she anyways? That Interpol agent?" Daniel said trying desperately to get the subject away from him. 

Dylan frowned "Alma? She's alright, haven't seen her in almost a year, the Eye has her doing something. And why would I be making trips to Paris?"

"Thought it would be something you would do to see a loved one." He mummered before giving a shrug "I guess I should be going, rest up for the act and all" Daniel said moving to grab his bag from where it was set on the ground. 

"Atlas how is Jared? Haven't seen him for awhile, you still together?" Dylan asked 

Daniel plastered on a fake smile, "Not that it's any of your business but I dumped him, too clingy. Don't worry about my personal life, I've got everything under control. See you at the gig" he vanished as quickly as he could wanting to avoid any more awkward questions. 

He did not see Dylan concern look or longing as he left. 

Once Daniel was back on his bike he gave a sigh of relief. A job, an excuse to give Jared of why he was not there. Maybe they will start getting more and more and he will be able to leave the country for a few years. 

It was also nice to see the others. Jared had demand that he stay away unless there was going to be questions. he almost forgot how relaxing it was to be with normal people who did not want to hurt him. 

He went back to his hotel room starting to feel stiff once more. He quickly took another couple of pills before sitting on the bed. He glanced at his phone and bit his lip when he saw the new texts waiting. All of them from Jared. 

:where the fuck are you, you little whore:  
:you better be getting some food if you know what's good for you:  
:why the hell are you not answering your phone? Are you out fucking people you whore:  
:just wait until I get my hands on you, you will never think of leaving me again. You will wish for it to be as easy as last night:  
:if you don't reply soon I'm going to the police about what I know"

Daniel placed his phone away trying not to get sick before giving up and running to the washroom. For the most part it was dry heaves save for a little bit of stomach acid and the pills he had taken earlier. He stayed crouched by the toilet shaking lightly trying to push the memories of what happened to him away. 

Once he was sure he was not going to throw up anymore he stood up and shakily moved to drink some water from the tap. His whole body was throbbing now and he knew he should try to eat something to give himself some energy for later but he couldn't. 

He made his way back to the bed before sitting down. He looked at his phone wondering if it was possible to get another one in the short time they had before the act. Shaking his head at his parinoia he got up and started to pace. No way Jared was going to find him here, but he knew Jared was going to blackmail him to come back if he doesn't come up with why he has been gone so long. 

Grabbing the phone he ran through the list of scenarios trying to find the best outcome. He slowly typed out a message reading it over more times then he cared to admit before pressing send. 

He brought a hand to his face feeling his headache get worse. He wished he never went to that bar all those months ago. He should have just stayed in the wearhouse like Dylan wanted. If he did he would have never had gotten into this situation. 

Sighing he moved to his bag and downed another couple of pills before pulling out a granola bar and half heartedly started to eat.

He practiced a few of his tricks trying to keep his hands and mind busy. He knew he should sleep, let himself heal but the nightmares, they scared him more and more each time. 

Daniel grabbed a pack of cards and a sweater and sweat pants to change into. Once changed he crawled onto the bed and started twisting the cards around his fingers as he moved to curl up on the bed. His mind turning to Dylan. 

Dylan would never hurt him like Jared, Daniel knew that was a fact. He seen how Dylan cared for them. Watched out for them keeping them out of danger. Daniel let his mind wonder to his innermost fantasy. About Dylan turning that protective outlook to him, keeping him safe, telling him he was good. Laughing at his jokes and card tricks and helping him when he messed up. 

He sighed, who was he kidding, Dylan would not want him, he had Alma, the pretty Interpol agent who was strong and knew what she want and how to get it. Danny had nothing he could offer that would even start to compare with her. 

But his mind yearned to be told he was safe. His body wanted to feel safe. He unconsciously moved the pillows around on the bed until he was more or less bracketed in. A poor substitute, but he could almost let his brain imagine that it was Dylan laying beside him holding him as he drifted off into restless sleep. 

.......


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here is the next chapter.  
> Thanks to everyone for giving this story a chance. Hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> Again I don't own the cast of NYSM2.

Chapter 2 

Daniel woke screaming, sitting up and bringing his hands close to his body. 

Trying to catch his breath he looked around the room while rubbing at his wrists. 

Seeing that he was in his hotel room, alone, Daniel slumped back down on to the bed. Before curling up onto his side trying to fight back the tears. Wiping a hand over his face he cursed. "Such a baby Atlas, can't even handle a nightmare before breaking down" he said softly trying to get a hold of himself. He curled up a little tighter while counting cards in his head trying to get his body to come back from the panic attack he had in his sleep.

When he finally got ahold of his breathing he stretched out a bit. Before blindly searching for his phone. Not finding it he looked to the clock on the bedside table reading it to be nine in the morning. "Great a whole four hours that's a new record" he mummered before getting up. His body held a dull ache as he shuffled to the table where he left his phone. He glanced to see if there was anything new sent but only saw Jared threatening response to his last text. He sighed before moving to pull on a different set of clothes before slowly warming up. 

Once his soreness was stretch out of his body, he started his workout. He lost himself in the repetitive movements of his workout. Feeling the burn as he worked through the different muscle groups was much more welcome compared to his previous pain and soon he had worked up a sweat. Finishing he made his way to the shower where he stretched again with the hot water pounding on his body. He slowly was starting to feel better after what had happened. 

He got himself changed into a lighter set of clothes then what he was wearing yesterday and started to tidy up the room. Shoving stuff into his bag and making sure nothing was left he made his way out of the room to drop off his card key at the front desk. 

He decided to stop at the room where they had an intercontinental breakfast going and grabbed a breakfast sandwich. He was actually hungry and was going to eat before he stressed himself to much. Hoping onto his bike he headed back to his apartment to get ready for tonight's show. 

He kept an eye out for Jared or any of his cronies when he got to his apartment but it seemed Jared believed him and had left the place alone. He gave a sigh of relief once he got into his apartment and had the door fully locked. Looking around he noticed the place did not seem to be anymore out of order then when Lula had messed with it, but he was still careful.

Once he deemed the place safe he moved to put his stuff away before getting ready for tonight's show. He practiced the few acts that he was going to be needing to do while going over the blueprints once more. 

He decided to head over early. Get the layout of the building before too many people arrived. 

Getting there he noticed Dylan's vehicle already in the parking lot and let out a sigh. "Of course he would be early too" he muttered getting off his bike. 

He started to check the building out, looking for Dylan as he wondered. There was some people running around but no one was paying a lot of attention to anything but their jobs giving Daniel plenty of opportunities to check different things. 

He finally found Dylan in the kitchen, watching as people got the food ready. 

Coming up beside him he watched the crowd of severs get everything ready. 

"Your here early" Dylan said turning to look at Daniel. 

"Wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly" Daniel replied. 

"Ah, come on then" Dylan said leading back to the room he appropriated for the horsemen without anyone really noticing. 

Once in the room he pulled out the duffle bag with the costumes and supplied needed for the heist. Danny walked over to grab his things out of the bag before looking around to find some place to change. 

He saw a curtained off area and moved to change quickly wanting to be done before the rest came in. 

He loved that his uniform was in essence four different costumes. It gave him enough layers to feel safe in, but it was not like he was wearing too many clothes. 

"Danny, what are your thoughts on the plan now that you have had time to think it over" Dylan asked. 

"Uh why?" Danny said peeking his head out from behind the curtain. 

"I thought you might have some different insight now with the sleep and all." Dylan said. 

"I see" Danny said with a frown. "Well there is nothing I could pick apart that I haven't already did last night and we fixed those problems" 

Dylan chuckled "yah I guess so. I know you have been chomping at the bit for some time I just want to make sure it goes perfect for us" 

Danny stepped out fixing up his tie. "It will, after all it has me involved" he said with a smirk. 

Dylan rolled his eyes before checking his phone. "Jack and Merritt are here I'll go lead them here. Since your all changed." He said before walking back out. 

Soon the whole team was in the room. They went over last minute problems and got changed. 

First out of the door was Jack joining the security. Then Lula and Daniel. Last was Merritt and Dylan as they made sure everything was cleaned up. 

The show was running smoothly until it wasn't. 

Danny was wondering how they were found out and hearing everyone bicker about it was causing him to have a headache. Merritt's accusations of him being the leak hurt more then he thought it would, but he played it off. 

Jumping through the tube he knew they were in trouble as he tried to fight off the hypnotism but failed. His last thought was of Dylan and hoping he got out alright before falling asleep. 

.-.-.-

Waking up to falling through a tube landing in a hamper caused a shot of pain to go through Danny's body and having Lula hitting him as she came though almost made him keel over. 

He carefully got out of the basket trying to figure out where they were. There was no restaurant anywhere near the building they were in, so where were they? 

After being pushed out of the kitchen and into the dining area his mind started to go through all the scenarios of how they got here and each one was looking worse then the last. 

When Merritt came back basically telling them they were in China, he was able to cross off a few scenarios but not enough to give him a how or a why. 

He was about to head outside when a man started to talk to them. The voice sounding suspiciously like Merritt's. Seeing the dude confirmed to Daniel that this was indeed Merritt's twin brother, long before Merritt said so himself. 

Feeling the hair at the back of his neck stand up he carefully looked around noticing that there was a few too many eyes watching them. Decided to see what they would do if he came closer he took a step making them reveal themselves. 

He hid the flinch of people coming at him with fists and weapons with Lula asking what was going on. The question that was on all of their minds but served to divert the attention from him nicely. 

Daniel knew this Chase guy was going to get on his nerves the longer he talked but finding out they were in Macau was interesting. The oldest magic shop was near and Daniel had been wanting to go since he learned about it when he was a child. He wondered what was the chance he would get to check it out. 

Being pushed into a vehicle tested all of his nerves trying not to flashback of Jared hands shoving him around. Once he was seated facing Merritt he allowed his body to relax its stiff hold as the hands disappeared, leaving him with his own space again. 

He knew it had been longer then six hours as his body throb from lack of pain relievers and the flight itself would take some time but he wanted to make sure that was all they were out for. So he carefully checked his wrists seeing as he had no watch, to check the state of healing. He gave it almost a day, which made sense. So at least who ever has kidnapped them did not decide to play with their body's for too long. He also could not feel anything really different with the clothes he was wearing either so he hoped nobody saw the marks. 

Finding out about the info on Merritt computer which led to this wonderful little kidnapping was worrying. He wondered how much info Merritt knew about him and why was he storing it. He decided to place that on the back burner as he kept an eye out for where they were going while asking how Chase knew where to find them. Which led to more annoyance as Chase gave them half answers and tales to discredit Merritt. 

Walking up to the Sands hotel, Daniel placed rich man wanting something high on the list of why they were there. Stepping into the elevator he half listened to Lula nervous babble, while trying to work out how long it would take Dylan to figure out that they were missing and how long it would take him to find them. Hopefully Daniel will have them safe before Dylan came to save the man the hassle. 

Finding out it was a dead man walking was new but not as awe inspiring as he would have thought. Walter Mabry was probably the most annoying man Daniel had the pleasure of meeting and that was including the McKinney twins. Everything about him screamed rich brat who thinks he knows everything. 

Daniel was close to dismissing the man until he started telling them long held secrets like his old name he went by as a stupid young teenager. The little snark at his love life back then did little to embarrassed him, what he wanted to know is if Walter knew about his newer secrets. It seemed not as one would think he would go right for them giving Daniel a bit of breathing room until he saw the slideshow. 

Seeing the photos on the screen made him internally panic, no way you can do that amount of man handling without seeing someone wrists but again Walter brought no mention to it making Daniel wonder why. 

Daniel quickly had enough after seeing a couple of his bruises and not wanting the other horsemen to also catch them. So he asked to find out what Walter really wanted. 

Finding out that they could get a new life though, that was interesting, away from Jared, away from hiding. He liked the sound of it but he was not going to trust that Walter was going to hold up his end of the bargain. The little prat was likely going to keep blackmailing them but the Eye, now they would be interested about the stick. 

He agreed to the plan if only to give them more time. He knew the others would be pissed off about him making the decision but he was not going to let them die for saying no, they were his team to take care of, he will get them back to safety. 

Hearing that they will go in the morning had him checking for a clock to see how long it would be. The others were all glaring at him but he ignored it. He knew that once he talked to them they would understand. Or at least he hoped. 

.-.-.-.-.

Daniel jotted down another note while going over the plans that Walter had for where the stick was being held. The others had descended onto food that Walter had brought up but Daniel was not feeling hungry in the least. He did ask for a pain reliever though. He said it was for his headache but really it was for his body. He kept the glass of water and forced himself to drink it., he knew he could not survive for long like he was but then again he hoped they would be free soon. 

Once it was morning and the stores would be open he followed the others out. Part of him was excited to see the oldest magic shop in the world he just wished he was checking it out without the whole Walter problem. He also hoped he would be able to contact the eye if they could lose their guard. 

Leading the way to the shop he told the others of his plan. He ignored their naysaying as he walked into the shop. It was everything he had hoped, from the look to the smell. He truly wanted to savor it but he was on a mission and walked to the back heading to the counter. 

Lee was amusing for all of two minutes with his little party tricks. Daniel knew that Lee knew more then he let on. He could see it in the glint of his eye. Same with the grandmother but he let his ego get ahead of him and made a fool out of himself. He fought off the red blush after Lula told them he was racist, which looking back at his action made him wince again. He made a promise to himself that once they have this mess sorted out he was going to learn mandarin so he can both apologize and never get himself into that sort of mess again. 

Once the stuff was ordered and Merritt had his brother go with him to get a drink, Daniel asked to borrow the phone so he could talk to the Eye. Dialing the number he knew off by heart he told whoever was on the other side about the whole situation. When he heard that someone was going to meet him he grew excited. Maybe finally he will be able to get some more answers. 

Hanging up he went to go find where the rest of his teammates wondered off to. He found Jack kneeling on the floor picking up cards with his belt and wallet on the ground. Frowning he saw Lula walking away and shook his head. Of course, she had only the biggest crush on Jack. Clearly she was trying to impress him. But right now really? Can't they deal with it after they get everything settled, he thought Jack would have least been a professional about it. 

He let his irritation leak through his voice as he told Jack to get his belt on and go find Merritt. Hearing Jack try to explain himself made him amused as he walked away going to find Lula. 

Once everyone was found, he had Chase lead them back to the Sands, now they had to practice how they were going to get through security.

...........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading
> 
> Next chapter will likely come out around the weekend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> Thanks to all the kudos and comments it truly makes it a joy to write when I see that. 
> 
> Short chapter but next chapter will be out on Saturday and it became longer then I had plan but I'm sure that won't be a problem.

Chapter 3

Practicing throwing cards with the rest was more fun then Daniel thought it would be. Merritt was truly horrible at it but Jack, he was a master. Daniel was impressed at all the different tricks Jack could do since the last time he truly got to see them. 

Daniel was happy to see that his own skills were not too bad for being forever since he last done it. It was even Lula first time with the cards and she quickly past Merritt for skill level. 

They spent hours throwing the cards around until they were almost perfect at the moves they had. Even Merritt was a lot better by the end. 

During break times when the others were eating, Daniel would go over the blueprints, the plan he had and what he knew about the people they were going to be impersonating. None of the others had problems with his plans, making him preen a bit that they were good. 

Walter was quite a generous host when he thought things were going just how he wanted and had all sorts of food and drink brought up. They had no need for anything as he would send out men to get it for them. Even Tressler, was not as giving as Walter. But Daniel knew from experience that the nicer someone tries to act the more harsh he will be if he gets pissed off, Jared had taught him that. He made sure to have the other eat even as he waved off the food not feeling like eating as they practice. 

When Walter showed them the rooms they could use for the night Daniel had them work until they fell asleep on the couches in the main room so he could keep an eye on them. Not because he thought Walter would do anything but more for his own peace of mind. 

He had seen some of the looks the guards had given Lula when she had tried on her outfit for tomorrow, and he did not like them. Not that he thought she can't defend herself if someone did try but Daniel knew sometimes you can't stop it and sometimes the intent was almost more harming then the act. She had such an innocent outlook on life from what he saw. He didn't want to ruin it because he was being careless with his team. 

So making them go until they crashed in the main room surrounded by each other, would not look obvious that he was looking out for them. Just being his normal workaholic control freak self. 

He took the role of guard and stayed awake through the night going over the plans, working over scenario in his head. It was not until the rest woke up did he relax his guard to go and have a shower and get changed before they realized that he was still in the same clothes three days running. 

Walking back into the room he saw the other three slowly eating breakfast still working the sleep out of their system. He shook his head with a fond smile before talking through the plan once more. The guards brought up the stuff they bought yesterday and they did a quick run though to make sure everything worked like they needed it to. 

.-.-.-

Having an in on the comings and goings of the people in hotel made it easy to get to Hannes Pike. A few misdirections, a bit of hypnotism and they had their ticket to the stick. 

Stepping out of the car in front of the vault had Daniel nervous but excited, they were almost home free. Just had to get the stick and hand it over to the Eye, easy. 

Once inside the building though it became a lot tougher. 

Now he was sure the girl in Hannes group was the bimbo, he checked all the personal files. Gone over all the reports that Walter had. So when the host asked him why he was talking it threw him for a loop but he forced himself to take it in stride. He hoped Lula had better acting skills then the short amount he had seen in his apartment. 

He wanted to hit his face against a wall when she started out but oddly enough it seemed to work and they got past that first hurdle. He also knew that the name Buffy was going to be his nickname for who knows how long from the looks he got from Merritt and Jack. He held back a sigh, he's suffered through worse names. 

Merritt slapping him on the butt with his belt on the other hand while teasing him hit a sore spot both mentally and physically that he didn't even know he had and he could not stop the flinch even if he wanted to. 

He forced his mind to forget the whipping Jared had given him a month ago, trying to pay attention to Jack going through the metal scanner. 

Earlier during the planing session they had decided that Jack was going to keep his wallet on him with a tiny bit of metal to see how much the scanner would pick up. When it went off Daniel frowned trying to figure a way to get the stick through but could not come up with anything that would not set the metal detectors off. He only hoped one of the others had thought of a possibility. When Jack, their cards expert, came up to him asking how he became even more concerned. 

One thing he also did not really take into consideration was the pat down each would get after Jack stole the stick. He had to force his mind to stay with where the card was at all times to try to drown out the panic and not to curl up in a ball freaking out. 

It worked for most of it until he got the card and the guards yelled at him. He quickly had the card hidden which was no problem but the panic that griped him from the yelling after the pat down. He had to force his mind not to flashback. Once he got ahold of his breathing he turned around hoping no one saw how tight he was holding himself. 

It must have worked because the host told them to leave after saying everything was clear with the computer. He had to fight the sigh that wanted to come out, they were not free yet. 

Walking out he quickly threw the card back hoping one of them would catch it, what he was not planing on was Merritt who had the worse throwing ability to catch it. With a quick question from Lula about wondering if she had everything he knew what they each had to do. 

Going over to the big metal chime thing he got ready hoping Jack and Merritt would also get the hint that Lula dropped. Everything relied on them doing this perfectly. And they had no time to practice it. 

When the card went through the same time as the wallet, the gong going off and Lula wrapping her coat around herself he wanted to cheer. Not even Lula remark about playing with the gong could destroy his mood.

Getting back into the car they all gave each other high fives. They managed to get the stick and not get caught. Merritt hypnotized the driver to take them to the market place where they would hand the stick over to the Eye. 

The other three started going through a play by play reliving the adrenaline while Daniel sat back and mused the success. Now he will get to see someone who has bigger contact with the Eye and they will be free. They were so close he could feel it. 

 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the Kudos and comments and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go everyone, Chapter 4.  
> Thanks to all the kudos and the support, I'm really happy I decided to post this story. 
> 
> So as before the cast of the NYSM2 is not mine. Though I did use some dialogue in this chapter from the almost drowning scene. It is not mine I just loved how it went and had to add my own little notes to it.

Chapter 4

They stopped at the market place and quickly got themselves separated just in case Walter had someone watching them. They had a place they were going to meet up in about ten minutes just in case something happens otherwise they went about as if they were tourists looking at the different wears.

Daniel made his way to the meeting spot. Just meet the Eye, get their freedom, and hand over the card. Nothing more, nothing less, which was why when he heard Dylan call out his name he froze. 

Turning around he saw Dylan come towards him. His first though was that Dylan was the person he was supposed to meet but a quick check for a blue hat proved that to be not the reason. So why was he here? He shouldn't be here, it messed with everything. 

He snapped at Dylan, telling him they did not need him anymore, that he was not their leader. He forced himself to ignore his pain at each of the insults he threw at Dylan but if there is someone watching then he needed to keep Dylan safe. He just never thought it would hurt so much to see the man he love walk away defeated. Daniel hoped that he would be able to make it up to the man after everything was said and done. That Dylan would understand why he is doing the things he is doing. 

Once Dylan had disappeared he gave a small sigh of relief before seeing the commotion happening. Wondering if it was the Eye he moved a slight bit closer seeing the blue hat come towards him. When he saw that it was Walter and his guards he froze. He was shocked to see that it was Walter wearing the blue hat. 

He started to curse himself as he backed up, wondering how he could be so stupid. Walter mentioned that it was his ego that got him into this position but he knew the truth. It was his fear that blinded him and now he was going to pay for it. 

Knowing that he could not let them get the stick he was prepared to break it, also knowing it will most likely make him a dead man when two of the guards came rushing at him, punching him in the stomach hitting old injuries. Forcing his pain down he tried to come up with a plan when all of a sudden he felt himself being propelled backwards into a wooden background and Dylan standing in front of him. 

Dylan ripped the card out of Daniels hand, spitting mad before punching him in the face then pushing him through the hidden door. With the push Daniel felt something slid into his chest pocket and saw Dylan's mouthed sorry before hearing his yell to get out of here. 

Daniel could hear the screaming and the fighting on the other side of the panel as he forced his brain to think about what just happened and not go into a panic mode. His stomach still hurt from the attack but his face and jaw didn't, leading Daniel to believe that Dylan had pulled his punch. 

Pulling out a card he saw that it was the same one Dylan had ripped out of his hand just seconds ago with the chip. 

"Dylan saved me even after I yelled him out?" He mumbled softly to himself. How could Dylan be so forgiving and how could he be so stupid. 

Shaking his head to try to clear Jared taunts, he left to get the others hoping Dylan would be okay until they got back. 

It took him longer then he liked to find them, but he finally found them wondering down one of the little alleyways looking at the different wares. 

He quickly told them that Dylan was here before taking off knowing that they would follow just to get answers. As he was about lead them back to where the fight was when he noticed that on one of the main roads was Walter's men running around a truck. 

Daniel could sense that the other three were getting tired of his half answers so he showed to the other three that he still had the card and stick while glancing back at the movement around the truck. Seeing Lionel Shrike safe made Daniel blood ran cold and he knew they had to follow it. That they must have Dylan too, otherwise they would not be playing around with a safe when they would be out looking for the horsemen. 

When the truck pulled away from Iong everyone was quick to follow trying not to lose track of the truck. 

Merritt somehow got a taxi who could speak enough English to know what"follow that truck" meant along with "don't be noticeable". 

Daniel was hoping that the team would just stay silent as he worked out ideas in his head but he knew that was to much to hope for when Merritt turned to look at him. 

"Atlas I think it's time you tell us what happened, I thought you were giving that stick to the Eye?" Merritt said once the cab was moving. 

"I thought I was too but it turned out Walter was masquerading as the Eye." Daniel replied keeping his eyes on the truck not wanting to see his teammates angry faces just yet. 

"Alright start at the beginning because you are confusing everyone. How was Walter pretending to be the Eye? And how did Dylan get caught up in this?" Lula asked. 

Daniel sighed "alright, so I go to the meeting spot I was told. Dylan found me, I uh brushed him off telling him we did not need him" he said with a flinch when everyone yelled out his name. Forcing himself to breath normally he continued. "Yah I know, I was being stupid, once he left, Walter came up wearing a blue hat. He told me how he used my phone to get all the information. Including Merritt address."

"And now the blame for this little mess is back with you, well I'm relieved" Merritt said haughtily. 

Daniel looked down "I know alright! I was stupid and I let you all down." 

"So how come you still have the stick of Walters men were there?" Lula asked. 

"Dylan, he came back made a show at being pissed at me, or at least I think so. It could have been real. Anyways he ripped the stick out of my hand before shoving me through this concealed doorway but not before tucking the card back into my pocket. While telling me to beat it. I could hear the fighting on the other side but it was a one way door so I ran to go get you guys so we could go back to help" he ended in a whisper fingers tracing the card and the stick. 

"Well then I guess I will take that so you don't get us into anymore trouble" Merritt said pulling the card out of Daniel hands. 

Daniel let it go feeling the sting in Merritt words go right to the bone. But Merritt was right, he caused all of this. 

"Yah how could you be so stupid Atlas" Lula replied punching him in the shoulder. 

Daniel wished he had an answer for the question but he didn't. He clenched his fists pulling blood from where his fingers nails cut into his palms. 

"Hey guys, as fun as this little 'pick on Danny' speech is the truck has stopped and there are some big boats here." Jack said from the front seat. 

Daniel looked up to see that they were at a dock. Telling the cab to wait they got out and carefully walked to see what was going on. All around the shipping yards was giant shipping containers providing cover for them to sneak to where they saw Dylan getting dragged to. 

They could not get close to the boat that Walter's men had dragged Dylan on because of all the guards but they were able to get into a space to see what was going on. 

"Hey isn't that the guy you stole from over a year ago?" Lula asked pointing at the middle of the boat. 

"Oh man, it's Tressler!" Jack said spotting the man. 

"What is he doing here?" Merritt replied also looking at the man. 

"I don't know but he looks pretty chummy with Walter" Lula mused as they watched Tressler put his arm around Walter. 

Daniel gaze stayed on Dylan who started to fight the men holding him as they shoved him into the safe. 

"What are they doing?" Lula asked standing up a little taller as if to see better. 

"Guys I don't like the look of this" Merritt said. 

"Me neither" Jack said as they watched the crane move to pick up the safe. 

"No, they wouldn't" Lula said with a gasp. 

"This is Tressler of course he would" Daniel said before running to the edge of the water pulling off his jacket. 

"What are you doing Daniel" Lula yelled running after him with the other two following. 

"I got him into this mess, I'm not going to let him die because of it" he yelled before jumping into the water. He swam as hard as he could against the current before getting to the spot he hoped the safe dropped before going under. 

The water burned his eyes as he looked through it trying to find the safe. Finding it he quickly went back up for air before diving back down. Seeing that Dylan had gotten out but was just floating there not doing anything scared Daniel but he was not going to give up. Pulling the man into his arms he pushed off from the bottom bringing them both to the surface. 

Dylan was still unconscious when they broke to the surface causing Daniel to swim as fast as he could to where the others were standing. He let Merritt and Jack pull Dylan from him as he quickly climbed up landing beside the man. 

"Dylan!" Lula and Jack cried as Daniel moved to push the water out of Dylan's lungs. Just as he was getting ready to start CPR Dylan all of a sudden spat out water as he rolled to the side coughing and panting hard.

Daniel sat back on his haunches letting out a sigh of relief. He's not dead, he thought over and over in his mind. 

Seeing Dylan frantically looking around to all of them he leaned forward to tell him he okay when Dylan said the same at the exact same time. 

They shared a look before Dylan slumped back down still working on catching his breath. 

Daniel closed his eyes listening to the man take noisy breaths trying to bring his own breathing into focus before they notice his trembling. 

When Dylan all of a sudden moved to sit up Daniel quickly moved to help grasping his arm feeling Dylan holding on to his just as strong. 

"Thank you" Dylan said looking at Daniel. 

Swallowing Daniel replied "it was the least I could do" 

"No there is a hell of a lot less you could have done" Dylan replied. 

Daniel shook his head while others said similar thoughts. 

Jack slipped the stick out of Merritt pocket showing Dylan that they still had it. 

"Thanks for pulling me out, seriously" Dylan said looking at Daniel. 

Daniel quirked his lip into a half smile "yeah" while telling himself not to get to happy about having Dylan's gaze on him. He just saved him from a near drowning that he caused. The former detective was likely a bit delusional from the beating and being dumped into a safe. 

When Jack mentioned that something was wrong with the stick Daniel forced himself to look away from Dylan. 

Seeing Jack peel the metal off the plastic was not something he wanted to see. Somehow they lost the stick. It made no sense. He thought back to everything that had happen in the last eight hours. None of it made any sense. He did not even notice that his trembling had worsened as he thought about everything that had happened between now and then. It was not until Merritt's comment that he realized how bad he must have been shaking. 

"Let's figure it out somewhere warmer before we have a Dylan and Atlas popsicle on our hands" Merritt said frowning at how bad Daniel was shaking. 

"Hey yah I'll go grab that taxi" Jack said before running off. 

"You going to be okay there Buffy? You look like your going to vibrate right back into the water." Merritt said throwing him his suit coat. 

"I'll be fine" Daniel muttered before pushing the coat to Dylan. "Here you were in the water longer then I was." 

Dylan shook his head "it's okay, but Buffy?" 

Daniel ducked his head going red. "Don't ask" 

"See our shaking second in charge here did not get the full history on the African gangster team that we had used to get to the stick and steal it. Found out the doctor he was going to impersonate was actually the female of the group and so it was Lula that got to play the part of Doctor. Buffy was one of the males and since Jack and I were the security members well it just so happened that our little Atlas got bumped down to Hannis boy toy, flozey named Buffy. At least for the act." Merritt replied gleefully much to Daniel embarrassment. "Jack, Lula, and I thought Buffy was a great nickname for this little shaking chihuahua and so it stuck." 

Lula nodded "It's a great nickname for him." 

Dylan raised an eyebrow at Merritt before looking at Daniel who had his eyes clenched shut at the tale feeling very hot all of a sudden. 

"Ah, it sounds like you had a much more exciting time in Macau then I had. You will have to tell me everything when we get someplace we can dry off. " Dylan said patting Daniel on the shoulder. 

"How did you end up here anyways?" Daniel asked latching onto the subject to get it off his huge mess up. 

"Funny story that, I had no clue where you guys were and it was not until I got a phone call from, get this Thaddeus, that I was able to find you. He had some old friends here that had seen you guys go into Iong's who told us where you guys had gone to. Then he disappeared on me" Dylan replied. 

"No way so Thaddeus is here in Macau also?" Lula asked. 

"Yah he slipped away from me at Iong, I don't know where he went but I had to find you guys first." Dylan said looking at Daniel "That man is slippery when he wants to be, but I don't think he is going to make himself to noticeable since I did break him out of prison" 

"So I take it you won't be going back as an FBI then?" Daniel asked looking up. 

"Not if I want to go to prison, Walter exposed me during the Octa-show after you guys left. I had to escape after locking my commander and second in command in hand cuffs after breaking out of them myself" Dylan said with a wry smile. 

Daniel felt as if a huge weight fell off him. Jared couldn't use anything anymore. The teams safe werehouse was a lost cause because of him and Merritt and everyone knows that Jack is alive. Now with Dylan also being ousted from the FBI, Jared had nothing to use on Daniel for blackmail. He was safe to disappear once the team and Dylan got rid of him.

"Oh" Daniel replied not sure what he should say. He was so relieved but on the other hand, he knew Dylan did love being a detective. 

"Yah, I don't mind because I was planning on leaving the FBI as soon as the Eye had something for us anyway." Dylan said with a grin. 

 

Daniel was just about to ask about the Eye, when they heard a honk from where the dock ended with Jack jumping out. 

"Come on guys, I think Tressler and Walter are still around" Jack said coming up. 

"Alright so up you to get" Merritt said holding out a hand for Dylan who jumped up with only a bit of swaying. 

Daniel forced himself to get up but his legs did not seem like they wanted to hold his weight and he was about to collapse back down when Dylan quickly pulled him up right. 

"You okay Danny?" He said softly. 

"Yah, I'm fine, my legs just got cold, I'm good now" Daniel replied back going red once more. He tried to stop the chattering of his teeth but could not seem to get a grip on it. He pushed away once he felt his legs could hold him not wanting to be seen weaker then he already was. 

"Come on let's get in the car, don't want you to catch a cold" Daniel said. 

Dylan nodded but he kept an eye on Daniel, something was up. 

Once in the car with the radiator blasting wonderful hot air and wrapped in blanket, Daniel was able to get a hold of his trembling. He could not figure out what was wrong with him. 

Dylan who was also wrapped in a spare blanket beside him, also seemed to be a bit happier telling the driver to take them back to Iong's where they will pay him handsomely for all the help and for his silence. 

The way there was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Once there Dylan took the taxi driver inside with the others who didn't really move from the door unsure of where to go. Once the taxi cab driver left Dylan gestured to the others to come with him. 

They followed him into the back room amazed at the whole thing. Daniel who was glancing down one of the shelfs all of a sudden gave a yelp when he had his wet blanket pulled away from him before being wrapped in a heated one by Li's grandmother. It confused him that someone who he was quite rude to seem to care about his health. He thanked her quietly moving over to the steps to sit down so he could lean his head against the side not wanting to be close to anyone at the moment. Not after his huge screw up. 

He watched the rest move to group around the table Li brought over. Dylan seemed to sit a bit away from the rest too, looking as tired as Daniel felt. 

"Alright let's go through the steps and maybe we will find out what happen to the stick" Dylan said bringing the attention to the problem at hand. 

Jack started the story from at the vault with each Horsemen telling their grab and pass trick. Lula mentioned handing it to Daniel after, which he replied that Dylan took it. Dylan then told the rest that he passed it back to Daniel. 

Nobody could figure out how they got a fake and started to get downhearted when Lula piped in with a pep talk that Daniel will admit was very good in raising all of their spirits and reminded Daniel of one of his favorite quotes. 

Standing up he started to tell it coming closer to the group. He was pleased when Dylan finished the quote, but was not expecting the look amazement from him causing Daniel to want to bow his head fighting down the blush. 

Coming up with a plan to oust Walter and his father, with only five people started to sound bleak until Li and his grandmother came up. 

And with her speaking perfect English too making Daniel want to shake his head in amusement. of course she can speak English nothing should surprise him anymore. 

Hearing her explain the fool card and why they were chosen made him freeze. He was so relieved when Merritt took the initiative to ask because he was sure his mouth was frozen. 

They were part of the Eye. He has finally met people of the Eye. He could not help his excitement. 

"This is the best magic shop in the world! You know what she is saying right?" He said turning to look at Dylan. 

"Yes, now we have resources and help" Dylan said looking relieved. "Thank you" he said softly leaning against the table. Before standing up straight and picking up a tea cup. 

"So who's in?" He asked looking at the team. 

Daniel didn't know how much Dylan might want him on the team but he had to start making everything right. So he quickly picked up his cup saying that he was in. 

He knew in his head that the rest would join, but it still filled him with relief when the others picked up their cups saying they were in also. 

After toasting their cups he took a sip of the tea, amazed at how good it tasted. He stifled his moan of appreciation from the heat and the taste, not wanting to make a bigger fool of himself then he already was. 

Li moved to grab some paper and pens while his grandmother went to get some hot buns for them to munch on. 

Daniel took a bun to nibble on, still not feeling all that hungry with the excitement of planing a new act but he did have a second cup of tea. 

They agreed they needed to have it somewhere else then in Macau because of Walter having so many resources here. 

Li suggested London, telling them it would not be hard for them to get the resources they needed while limiting Walter's. They agreed on the idea, quickly writing down different ideas that they could do. Figuring out a date was easy. They wanted to start off the new year with a bang. Unfortunately that meant that they had to get on a plane as soon as possible to get there to start getting it ready. 

Li offered Dylan and Daniel a change of clothes while the rest got ready to take what they needed onto a plane. A plane in which the Eye owns so they would have no problems flying international. 

Daniel was happy to see that the clothes Li had brought were a couple different styles that he could layer along with the style of coat he liked. Saying a quick thank you he quickly left to get changed, needing to have a couple of layer on after he had exposed so much of himself. And if the team asked why he looked like a polar bear he could just say that he still felt like he was freezing which was truer then he wanted it to be. He still was lightly shivering and his nose felt like it was starting to run. 

"Please don't let me be sick" he mumbled to himself as he changed. His body felt that it was screaming letting him know he was still in pain but he didn't want to ask for anything he already was enough trouble. 

The car ride to the plane it seemed that the good mood of having a plan seemed to have the other three gleefully telling Dylan all the ways he messed up and how glad they were to have Dylan back. He kept himself quiet on the way to the plane after he tried to defend himself, but they shushed him, saying that they were telling the story and not him. 

He missed Dylan's worried glance as he stared out the window looking into the dark night hearing Jared taunting voice in the back of his head. 

......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the kudos and comments. It means so much. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out tomorrow (25th) because I'm just so excited by all the kudos and everything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the next chapter in this little story. I want to thank everyone for the kudos and and comments. You made my day yesterday by all of your support. 
> 
> So going to be honest here but this was the first chapter I had wrote for this little idea. The other four were basically to get to this point in time so I hope everything works. 
> 
> Dylan also has a bigger part and practically took over this chapter and demanded that Danny have a break so, this -----..... means change of POV within the chapter. 
> 
> Again I don't own the Cast of NYSM2.

Chapter 5 

Daniel tucked himself the furthest he could into the sofa on the plane. Dark thoughts swirling in his head. He knew he royally screwed up with everything. Everything that happen in Macau it was all his fault. And now they are going to send him back to New York as soon as this last act was over. After all he led the rest into danger and almost killed Dylan.

He deserves to be handed back to Jared. After all what is he good for. He messes up everything. 

He was so busy falling further into his dark thoughts that he missed Dylan moving to sit beside him on the couch. 

"Hey, how are you doing?" Dylan asked. 

Daniel was ashamed that he jumped when he heard Dylan's voice. Honestly he was as observant as as rock. 

"Whoa, Danny it's just me. Are you okay?" The man asked looking concerned. 

Daniel shrugged looking to him before looking out the window, his arms clasp tightly around his legs, trying to make as little of a target as possible. Maybe Dylan will forget about his stupidity and just ignore him if he does not make any noise. After all his mouth is what gets him into trouble. 

\-----......

Dylan frowned, he knew something was wrong with his favorite horsemen and he was going to get to the bottom of it. He took in Danny's appearance trying to piece what could be making him so lost in thought. He became more and more worried at what he noticed. 

Danny had placed himself the furtherest he could away from the rest of the group that had passed out sleeping. He was folded up as if to make himself as small as he could with his legs drawn up to his chest and his head tucked close. He was wrapped into a thick sweater with a coat on top of that, even though the plane cabin was warm enough that the rest were lounging in tee shirts. 

He was keeping his head down but if he wanted he could see the whole cabin just by peeking up. His skin looked flushed and clammy from what Dylan could see. He seem to have bruising forming around his eyes from the lack of sleep they must have gotten over the last couple of days. Dylan could also feel heat radiating off him and wonder if Danny had caught a chill as he still seemed to be lightly trembling. 

But what really had Dylan worried was the haunted gaze and the hint of bruising and scabs around Danny's wrists. From what he could tell it looked like rope burns. He frowned. He did not recall any of them saying they or Danny had gotten tied up at all. So why would Danny have these marks. He grabbed a hand to look closer not really thinking. 

When Danny had gasped and flinched badly, Dylan let out a soft curse for scaring the man. He felt Danny trying to pull his hand to his chest, looking worried, but Dylan held on gently. Pushing the sleeve up the arm he could see that the wounds looked to be a couple of days old. The brusing in a state of browns and yellow colors. The small scabs slowly falling off, leaving light pink scars. He traced the marks gently wondering how he never noticed that Danny was hurt this whole time before noticing signs of concealer around the scabs. He blinked, Danny was trying to hide it from them. 

He looked up at Danny face and all he could see was fear filled eyes looking at him. Daniel whole body held stiff. He didn't even appear to be breathing as he looked at Dylan. 

"When did this happen Danny?" Dylan asked softly. 

Daniel gave a light tug wanting his wrist to be let go which Dylan automatically did watching as Danny held both hands to his chest. 

He could see the emotions run over Danny face, fear, sadness, anger, worry before Danny's mask came up. A fake smile that could fool anyone but Dylan. 

"It's nothing" he said roughly before clearing his throat "just was trying my rope work before everything, but I got stuck"

Dylan wanted to explore the excuse, to ask why Danny was practicing rope tricks when he has never had to, but he could see the pleading look in Danny's eyes to just let it go. 

This was not the Daniel that defied the FBI and smiled like he knew how the world ran and could control it. This was a person that looked like a beaten puppy trying to go about being fine. Things started to add up and Dylan was not liking the photo it was making. 

"Danny, I'm worried" Dylan asked needing to know. 

Daniel blinked "what?" 

"Your not acting like you. The Danny I know would be playing with his cards, sitting and making plans and playing on your phone, or bugging Li about the Eye. Yet your sitting as far away as you can get from everyone. Lost so in thought that I was able to startle you and trying to get yourself small enough to fit into a safe half the size of the one I was shoved into." He saw Danny flinch and downwards look, before feeling like an ass. Of course Danny was still blaming himself for that and there he goes shoving it into his face. "Sorry that was too soon" 

"Don't know why your saying sorry, I'm fine" Daniel said looking away. 

"No your not Danny, you got marks on your wrists that look pretty nasty and you look dead tired but your not sleeping like the rest of the crew. What's more you are wrapped in so many layers I'm sure you must be cooking hot even though the temperature is not that cold in here. It might be the FBI training in me, but I'm worried".

Daniel sighed ducking his head and resting it on his knees "maybe I'm just waiting for you to kick me off the team." he mumbled, sounding like he was not really planning on Dylan to hear it but he did. 

Dylan eyes widen at the admission. "Danny no, how could you think that? I have no plans on kicking you off the team" 

Daniel looked up confused. "Why? I create this whole problem. If I wasn't such an arrogant control freak that went over your head trying to contact the Eye we would never have gotten caught, but I was and it almost got you killed." He said before flinching as if his own words hit him. He went to tuck his head back down but Dylan stopped it with a hand gently holding his chin up. 

"How do you think you created this mess Danny? If anything I did when I started my thirty year revenge plot against Tressler. I knew he would never stop trying to get back at us, at me. I should have known that he was in on this in the first place but instead I thought I had him beat." He said softly. "You are not to blame for what happened, you were just trying to get an answer you could live with and I'm sorry I could never give you one. As for the whole safe thing I told you at the dock there was so much less you could have done but you Danny, you jumped in and got me out. You don't know how much it means to me that you had my back. When I started this whole thing I never imagined that I would have someone looking out for me. It was always the other way around but you, even with everything that happened between us, you still rescued me. You still had my back." He saw the doubt swirling in Danny's eyes. "Did you know my greatest fear was dying the same way my dad did? I was completely terrified yet the last thing I thought of was that at least you and the other horsemen were safe." 

Danny started to tear up, "but I".

"Danny you belong on this team, everything you did was to protect it. It might have been messy at times yes, but you are someone I can trust to protect and lead the other Horsemen and you know I don't trust others that easily. You belong here." Dylan said bring his hand to cup Danny cheek he could feel the heat radiate into his hand. Now he was sure Daniel had a fever. 

He was surprised when Danny let his head fall into Dylan hand as a few tears fell down his face. Taking it as a sign that Danny was not going to reject comfort Dylan carefully maneuvered to wrap his arms around Danny pulling him close into a hug. 

\------........

Daniel stayed stiff for a couple of seconds before he willingly shoved his face into Dylan neck as the tears kept falling down his face. His whole body was a mess of cold and hot and pain. His brain felt like it had gone through a blender and the only thing keeping him steady was Dylan's arms wrapped around him. He had only hoped in his innermost dreams that Dylan would hold him like this. 

Would tell him he was enough.

It was like a balm after months of someone telling him he could never be enough. Of trying to beat it into him that he was useless. Of years before hearing that he would never be good enough for anyone. To hear that Dylan thought he was. Daniel did not know what to think. Tears kept streaming down his face and no matter how hard he tried he could not stop them. He knew that between the stress and the lack of sleep and food then jumping into a cold river he must have caught something and he should not infect Dylan with his stupidity but it felt so nice to have another human touch him without trying to cause him pain. He could not help but hold on tighter as he stifled his sobs. 

\------........

Dylan slowly started to rock "your okay, the team is okay, I'm okay, we are okay. Everything will be fine. I got you and I'm not letting you go. You belong here. I don't blame you, I never blamed you." He murmured.

He was startled to feel Danny's body shake with his crying but he just increased his grip letting the younger man that he was there. What bothered Dylan was that Danny was completely silent. It bothered Dylan more then he thought it ever could. No one should be silent when they cried unless they were trained. Dylan wanted to kick himself for never seeing how much Danny needed to hear those words. He vowed to make sure he never let Danny fall through those cracks again. 

Dylan just kept repeating the different phrases over and over as he rocked Danny. His one hand moving to play with the hair on the nape of Danny's neck while the other one rubbed circles on his back under the coat. Trying to help the man calm down and give whatever comfort he could. 

\-----.......

Daniel could feel his body just start to crash. The running around, the lack of sleep and food. The jump into the river. The pain his body was constantly trying to fight off. He didn't realize how much his frazzled body needed to rest until he felt his eyes start to close. Being lulled into the first peaceful rest he's had in months. 'Just rest for a few minutes' he thought to himself not wanting to make a fool of himself and fall asleep on his bosses lap. 'He won't notice a few minute rest'. 

\----......

Slowly Dylan felt the man in his arms collapse into him, his breathing calming down and the tears stopping. When Dylan pulled back to see Danny face he saw that the man was out like a light. He carefully maneuvered Danny to get the coat off at least and get it so he was resting comfortably against him. His head still tucked in hiding from the rest of the world. 

Dylan knew that he had barely scratched the surface of what the problem was but he was going to keep working until Danny could trust him enough to really tell him what's going on. Those bruises and cuts don't come as a result of practicing rope tricks. 

Someone tied Danny up against his will and made him doubt himself so much that he was trying to change who he was. Dylan vowed he was going to find out who hurt his horsemen, and bury them. 

Dylan smiled sadly looking at the sleeping man. "I'm never going to let you go Danny, you mean so much more to me then you will ever know. You will alway be as much as a Horsemen as the rest of us." 

.-.-.-. 

Daniel did not know how long he sat there crying into Dylan's neck or how long he must have passed out for, but when he awoke it was the first time in a long time he awoke feeling safe and protected and the first time he slept without nightmares to wake him up. 

He could feel someone rubbing the back of his neck and he couldn't help but to melt into the person holding him. It felt so nice. 

Until it hit him someone was holding him. That his face was against someone's chest listening to a strong, steady heartbeat. And his hand was grasping that someone shirt. 

He stiffened while his eyes popped open trying to figure out what happened. Eyes looking up, he saw Dylan with his eyes closed resting against the back of the couch. He was absolutely mortified when all the memories started to come back. He cried all over Dylan, he fell asleep on Dylan. How was he going to explain this?

He went to try to escape when he felt the arms surrounding him squeeze lightly stilling all movement. 

"Stop wiggling, it's fine, we still have a couple more hours before you need to wake go back to sleep, I got you" Dylan said not opening his eyes. 

"But" Daniel started sounding confused. 

"But nothing, it's okay, we only got a few more hours until London and we are running around catching Tressler and his kid. Everything will be fine, you can sleep some more" Dylan said opening his eyes and looking at Danny. 

"I'm heavy though, this can't be comfortable for you" Danny said trying not to think how easy it would be to just lean up and kiss him. Granted he felt he had a dream like this before. Maybe he was not awake after all. Maybe his brain finally shut down and he was still curled up, alone on the couch dreaming a fever induced dream. 

"Actually your not. If anything you can use a few more pounds." Dylan replied trying to figure out how Danny came up with that argument. "And your sick so I don't mind cuddling you, if you don't? I heard it helps people feel better."

Danny blinked before shaking his head, "This must be having one of those fevered dreams I've heard about. There is no way you would say that to me. No way you could be so kind. I'm not worth that." He mumbled moving to rub his head wondering if it's possible to have a headache in a dream. 

Dylan frowned "not a dream Danny, you do have a fever but you still deserve to have comfort" 

"No It's a dream, you never let me touch you otherwise. I've had this dream before I think. I will think I'm safe and you are holding me but then you will turn into Jared and yell at me saying I'm just a fat, lazy, arrogant control freak, who, well you already know, your in my head." 

Dylan shook his head "Danny, don't. Your nothing like that, your perfect just as you are. Is Jared the one that hurt you?" 

Daniel frowned, "that's what you would say if this is a dream". He yawned his eyes falling closed. "I must be sicker then I thought if I'm feeling sleepy in a dream." He mumbled before opening his eyes. "Don't leave me? Don't change into that monster" He pleaded softly. 

"Never Danny" Dylan said feeling his heart break. 

"Hmm" he said softly before falling back asleep. 

\-----.......

Dylan blinked in shock wondering if he could have possibly heard wrong. 

He held Danny closer, as if trying to protect him from the rest of the world that wanted to harm him. Protect him from Jared at least. 

Dylan wanted to know if Jared was as physically abusive as he was clearly was mentally but why would Danny stay with him? Granted before when Dylan had asked Danny said he had dumped the man. But how long ago? How long did Danny stay with Jared, and what did that monster say to him to make him stick around? Or was it something or rather someone eles entirely that caused the marks around his wrists? 

He had dealt with abuse cases within the FBI before and he had gone to all the seminars about how some victims react to the abuse. Danny was showing signs that were highly worrying. Dylan promised himself that he would look into it as soon as he had a chance. 

The nice thing was that they had almost two days before the act. Hopefully he will be able to find out what was going on with the man in his arms and get him out of his fever before they had to do all their running around. And maybe let Danny know how he truly felt about him. 

He allowed his eyes to close. To try to think over the plan they came up with instead of the man in his arms.

.-.-.-.

Another hour passed before Dylan heard the sounds of one of the others waking. Opening his eyes he saw Jack move to stand up and head to the washroom. He wondered if he should wake Danny knowing he would not want the others to see him in a moment of weakness but it was too late and Jack noticed. 

Jack smiled softly at Dylan before coming up quietly. Seeing Danny in Dylan arms he raised an eyebrow looking at Dylan. 

Dylan smiled back and shrugged. 

"Is he okay" Jack asked softly looking at Dylan. 

"He will be, but I'm pretty sure he caught something. He's burning up. " Dylan replied. 

"Do you think he will be okay for the act?" Jack asked in concern, setting the back of his hand on Danny's forehead to check. 

"Knowing Danny he will force himself to be okay. Don't be too rough on him, I know you and the others are likely upset, but everything is as much my fault as it is his." 

Jack frowned "I never was truly upset with Danny, annoyed yah, but this is Danny. I know he was just trying to look out for us. I'm just happy he is finally sleeping I'm sure his lack of sleep has something to do with his getting sick." Jack replied. 

Dylan frowned "what do you mean?" 

Jack looked to Danny "the whole time we were in Macau he never slept. Granted we had that unwanted nap before we got there but the rest of us slept the night before we went to get the stick. I don't think he did because when I crashed on the couch he was awake, working on the plan, and when I woke he was still there in yesterday's clothes going over the blueprints. He switched out before the rest really woke up but I never saw him sleep the whole time we were there. Then with everything with Tressler" he trailed off. "I assumed it was stress because he normally is one to make sure we all get enough sleep before we pull off a heist." 

Dylan frowned, "good to know, and hey don't tell the others about how you found him sleeping. He probably would be embarrassed if the rest of the team found him sleeping on his boss lap" 

"Oh man, believe me, Merritt and I had a bet for how long it was going to take for you two to get your acts together." 

"What?" Dylan asked playing it off as if it was news to him. 

"Uh yah, we thought you knew? Danny has been totally smitten with you ever since he first met you during that interrogation. He would not shut up about you." 

"Really?" Dylan asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Yah, it was cute to see him so flustered when he found out you were the fifth horsemen that created the whole act. We have been waiting for over a year for him to ask you. We had thought for sure it was going to happen within months of the last act in New York. But then he hooked back up with Henley and you look like you were with Alma. Then Henley left him and we thought for sure he was finally going to tell you but then he hooked up with that creep Jared but we are sure he left him months ago. We thought you two would never get together." Jack asked before widening his eyes. "You are together right?" He asked 

Dylan shook his head "no, I was just hoping to get through these next few days before seeing about asking."

"Oh man but what about Alma? Aren't you still with her?" Jack asked 

Dylan frowned, "I never was? Alma is a friend and alway has been. She had been training to help with the Eye" Dylan said "but regardless of all that please just keep it quiet for now." 

"Hey man, lips are sealed" Jack said before heading to the washroom. 

Dylan smiled softly at Jack. Before looking back at Danny. 

"Sounds like my crush isn't so unrequited as I thought it was" he thought to himself hopefully. 

Hearing the others starting to make sounds of waking Dylan carefully slid out from underneath Danny and wrapped a blanket around the tired man, before moving to get some food ready for everyone. His thoughts staying on Danny as he headed to the small kitchen the plane had. 

.........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hoped you all don't mind the switch up with POVs. Let me know what you all think. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out on Tuesday. 
> 
> Thanks again


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right here is chapter seven. Thank you all for the wait. And the kudos and the comments, and the bookmarks they are so nice. This is such a small little fandom but it's filled with so many nice people. It makes me so happy. 
> 
> What amused me in this chapter was Dylan fully took over this chapter being a protective little fluff ball but don't worry Daniel takes it back in the next. 
> 
> The cast of NYSM2 is not mine. They just make very good puppets to play with.

Chapter 6

Dylan found Li already at the small kitchen cooking up eggs. 

"How is your horsemen?" He asked in mandarin, flipping a couple of eggs. 

Dylan raised an eyebrow at the language switch. "My horsemen?" he replied in same. 

"The one you had on your lap?" 

"Danny? He's not mine but he's sleeping." Dylan defended, not without quickly glancing over to Danny. "I'm pretty sure he caught a cold, he has a fever"

"The man has ran himself ragged the last couple of days." Li agreed "And please the whole time I've seen you two together it's like your a magnet. You both have not move far away from each other. Even now after everything your still highly protective of him." Li replied eyeing at how Dylan had put himself in front of Danny blocking Li's view. 

"Tell me have you alway been this nosey or is it just me?" Dylan deflected. 

Li grinned, "My grandma would say yes, but some of it is because I think Danny needs someone in his corner." He somber up turning fully to Dylan. "Someone has hurt him greatly, the Eye has been watching but Daniel is good at keeping secrets, so we don't know who. We would like him to stay in London at one of our safe houses until we have found the person. We think it would be a nice break for all of you actually." 

Dylan frowned, "what do you know?"

Li sighed "I really can't tell you much mainly because of how little we really know. Danny is at keeping secrets we really only know as much as you know. Watch how he reacts to the others. To food and sleep. We noticed it more in Macau where we could keep a better eye on him, it paints a very worrying picture" Li replied. 

"Please tell me what you have noticed" Dylan pleaded, "I feel like I'm missing something" 

"Then you will figure it out, just be there for him, he will let you know when he is ready" Li replied before turning back to the stove. 

"Dylan, I didn't know you spoke Chinese" Merritt said coming up to them. 

"It's mandarin actually" Dylan replied still frowning at Li who had gone back to working on the food. 

"So what are you talking about?" Merritt asked. 

"Just something to do with the Eye" Dylan replied turning to see Merritt snag some fried ham.  
"Right" Merritt replied looking at him with disbelief. "I'll just leave the elephant in the room alone then. What other languages can you speak?" Merritt asked grabbing a slice of toast. 

"A few here and there." He replied before turning to look at the mentalist. "So I was thinking we should eat before we land. I have a feeling we will be busy once in London so it would be a good idea. If you want to let the others know?" Dylan replied grabbing plates and setting them by the food. 

Merritt frowned but nodded, heading back to the others. Dylan watched as he told Jack who had moved to back to his couch and looked to be dozing while Lula who was just waking up, but he seemed to hesitate when he looked over to where Danny still laid sleeping. Dylan watched as he turned to speak quietly with Jack. Both glancing over to Danny then to each other, talking softly.

Dylan saw Jack shake his head before looking over to Dylan then back to Danny. 

Dylan walked up to the two. "What's going on?" 

"Jack does not want to wake Buffy up because he needs to sleep and I think he needs to eat more so we are at a disagreement." Merritt said softly. 

"I'll go ask him then" Dylan said making his way over. He could feel all sets of eyes watching him as he kneeled down by the couch gently resting a hand on Danny's shoulder. 

"Hey Danny, you want some food?" He said softly. 

Danny's eyes fluttered open looking at Dylan. "Your still here" he said softly. 

Dylan noted that his fever seemed to have gotten hotter, and his eyes were appearing almost too bright. Wondering if he would be able to get Danny to take something to bring the fever down he nodded, "yah you can't get rid of me that easy. We were wondering if you want to eat something or sleep a bit more?" 

He watched as Danny became more awake moving to sit up, looking to where the rest of the team stood. 

He swallowed before looking away from everyone. 

"I think it would be better if I just stayed here" Danny said softly. 

Dylan frowned he heard the unspoken 'I don't think they would want me around' he placed his hand on Danny's. "Your a part of this team, of course you can eat with us, even if you are feverish" 

Danny looked over to Dylan before looking down. "I" 

"Come on Danny, we are starving, come eat with us" Lula said bouncing over. 

Danny looked at her before looking back to Dylan. Dylan gave a small nod of encouragement. Danny gave a soft okay before moving to get up. 

Dylan smiled broadly getting up then helping Danny get off the couch. 

He let Danny go ahead of him as they led to the table. Both Merritt and Jack slapped him on the shoulder smiling broadly as they ushered him to the table. Dylan saw the small jump Danny gave at the contact and raised an eyebrow. 

Dylan also got a chance to see Danny standing beside the others and noticed that he was a lot thinner then before. Even Lula looked more filled out then Danny. He wondered if it had anything to do with the fat comment Danny had made. He never seemed concerned about his weight before, it was concerning to say the least. 

Keeping Li's comments in his head, Dylan watched as Danny barely took anything. A slice of toast and some eggs but he seemed more interested in pushing the food around then he was of eating it. Dylan wondered if it had in part to do with Danny not feeling well. 

He watched as Danny nibbled on the toast as he looked out the window appearing to be lost in thought. 

Jack and Merritt were going over their parts for the act and where before Danny was alway quick to add a comment, he did not even look to be paying attention to any of it which was highly unusual for him. 

The whole team noticed quickly that Danny was not actively participating. Both Merritt and Jack had glanced to each other looking concerned. 

When everyone had all gone silent Danny looked back noticing they were all watching him. 

"What?" He asked carefully. 

Dylan could hear the slight rough sound to Danny voice. Definitely was becoming sick. 

"Are you okay you don't seem to be fully here" Merritt asked. 

Danny rolled his eyes, before giving a cough into his fist as if to try to clear out his throat "Im sorry I was just thinking about our acts and making sure I thought of everything. We can't let those two get away" he replied. 

"I agree, but you seem awfully silent" Merritt replied. "Normally you are pointing out different flaws in our plans and how they can be better. You are being very laid back for a self proclaimed control freak" 

Dylan watched as Danny gave that fake smile to the team while setting down his toast. 

"I think we saw what my controlling habits have done to put us in this mess. Now if you don't mind I have to go to the washroom" he said slipping out.

Merritt looked to the others when they heard the bathroom door shut. "Alright what is going on with Daniel? This is not like him at all. Did you say something to him?" He asked pointing the question to Dylan. 

Dylan frowned "no, but I think he is not feeling well and is feeling pretty low after you guys took to telling me all of the things he did wrong." 

Jack flinched "We were just teasing him" he said softly. "I didn't mean to hurt him." 

"I know Jack but you guys got to admit you were getting a little cruel back in Macau. He was doing the best he could and you all threw it into his face. I'm sure he had reasons for why he was acting like he was. Both you and Merritt should know that by now." Dylan said. 

All three of them bowed their heads with a wince. Looking back they were pretty mean to him. 

"What do you mean he's not feeling well" Lula asked realizing they had missed something. 

"He has a fever, I think he caught something after he pulled me out of the river." Dylan responded. 

"His not eating probably helped that" Lula added looking down at her plate. 

Dylan frowned. Danny was not eating? 

"What?" Jack and Merritt asked. 

"Come you guys, I've only been with you guys like not even a week and I've noticed Daniel eating habits or lack there of. He's like a walking bean pole. I think I'm heavier then him." Lula said looking at the three Horsemen sitting with her. 

Seeing the two looks of shock from Merritt and Jack she said "What? It's true, the guy barely eats, remember when I was complaining about being hungry when we woke up in Macau? Walter brought us food after Danny agreed to have us work with him and the three of us descended on it like a pack of rabid dogs but Daniel barely even touched it. I remember watching him as he basically ignored it and was going over the floor plans." 

"That's basic Danny for you, he gets caught up in these things" Merritt replied with a frown. 

"But when has he had anything to eat since then? We all are those biscuits at Iong after rescuing Dylan, but Danny moved back to his step with a set of papers and had nothing but that tea. I don't recall him joining us for breakfast before getting the stick and we all missed lunch and supper. Now we had what could be called breakfast and look at his plate. He nibbled on the toast, that's it. He's not eating" Lula said pointing to his plate. 

"Maybe the stress?" Jack said before Lula shook her head. 

"I don't think so, whatever issue he has with food has been going on for a while." Lula said. 

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked leaning forward. "How do you know that?"

Lula blinked before looking at the other two, who were also looking at her in confusion. "Really, come on guys, was I the only one checking you both out when you got out of the river? Danny had taken off the suit jacket leaving on his dress shirt when he went to grab you, those trick dress shirts are not thin, it was plastered to him and I could still count his ribs." 

The other two blinked, while Dylan added it to the mental note to give that issue a bit more priority to look at. He knew Danny had lost weight but he didn't think he was not eating. 

"Now that you mention it, he has been wearing those thick sweaters lately" Jack said tapping a hand to his chin. 

"Probably cold all the time because his body is not making heat and now after that jump in the water he caught a cold" Merritt muttered. 

They all fell silent for a while, thinking about their fellow horsemen. 

"Well now I feel like a right ass, but why didn't Danny say anything?" Merritt said looking to the rest. 

"Yah he never had a problem speaking his mind before, what changed?" Jack added. 

"I don't know but as soon as everything is done we are going to get to the bottom of this. Something like this does not happen over night." Dylan replied. He had an idea but he didn't think Danny would like him to be telling his secrets without his permission. 

"Not to judge or anything, but hasn't Danny been in the washroom for a long time" Lula asked looking up. 

"Yah now that you mention it" Merritt said moving to get up. 

Dylan was quicker, "I'll go make sure he's okay" he said making his way to the washroom. 

Knocking on the door he said, "hey Danny you alright in there?" 

When no reply was given Dylan got concerned. He knocked a little louder. "Daniel" 

Still nothing. 

By this time the rest of the Horsemen and Li had come over. 

Dylan tried to open the door and found it locked. 

"Anyone got the key to this door" Dylan asked. 

"No but give me one second and I'll have it opened" Jack said quickly moving to pick the lock. 

Dylan gave him space but just barely. Once the door was unlocked Dylan opened the door. What he found scared him almost into a heart attack. Danny was slumped against the counter unconscious. The others gasped in shock. 

Dylan was quick to give him a shake "Daniel"

"I'm sorry" he mumbled seeming to curl up even more, before going slack. 

Dylan quickly checked his pulse and gave a sigh of relief. "He's alive but burning up. We need to get him out, Jack go grab the first aid kit and Li go look and see if we have anything to use as cold packs. Lula, I need you to go turn the couch into something we can lay him down and have room to work if we need to. Merritt help me get him up and to the couch."

They all nodded running to go do what was asked, Merritt sticking around to help Dylan lift the fallen horsemen. 

Soon they got him on the couch. The heat Danny was giving off was highly concerning. He knew they had to get his body heat down before it caused worse problems. 

"We need to strip him of some of these layers to help him cool down" Dylan told Merritt who nodded. 

They pulled off the sweater to find that Danny had a slightly lighter sweater on underneath. Removing that they found a long sleeve shirt and under that had a tee shirt. 

"Jeez he has more layers on then I do when I go outside in the winter." Merritt said. 

Dylan nodded but was more concerned about the ribs he could see through the shirt. 

Jack came back with the first aid kit and gave it to Dylan who opened it and grabbed the sterile thermometer and carefully stuck it in Danny's mouth. 

It pinged sitting at 40 degree Celsius. He looked over to Li. 

"What's the chance of the Eye having medical help when we land?" He asked, knowing there was no way they could take care of this on their own. 

"I'll call them right now" Li said moving to the front cabin. 

"Is he going to be okay?" Lula asked standing at Danny's feet. 

Dylan ran a hand over Danny's head "I hope so, he has a high fever so we got to get that looked after. Did Li find anything to use as cold packs?" 

"Yah, here" Lula handed over the ice packs. 

"I'm going to need something to wrap them in, also can one of you grab a cloth and a bowl of cold water? " Dylan said not letting his gaze leave Danny. 

Lula and Jack took off to look while Merritt moved to sit at Danny head looking down at him. 

"How did I miss so much?" Merritt mumbled. 

Dylan was rubbing his hand over Danny's head, lost in worry "Hmm?" 

"He was tied up unwillingly, wasn't he?" Merritt said pointing to Danny's wrists that were now out in the open. 

"Most likely" Dylan said moving to look at Merritt. 

"And is that a hand print bruise?" Merritt said eyeing Danny's arm. 

Dylan hummed his affirmative. 

"I don't understand, I'm the mentalist. I read body language and know what people are thinking. How did Dan slip by without me noticing anything?" Merritt said looking lost. 

Dylan sighed looking back to Danny. "He slipped by all of us. I think it was because we thought Daniel Atlas was invincible and he is also very good at hiding his weak spots. He only let us see what we wanted to see and nothing more." 

"But this" Merritt started before Dylan cut him off. 

"I know, I hate that I missed it to. He is part of my team and I didn't see him hurting. But I can't do anything about what happened in the past. All we can do is keep him safe moving forward." 

"Who do you think did this to him?" Jack said coming up with a couple of towels and wrapping the ice packs to hand to Dylan to place around Danny. 

"I have an idea but I'm not sure. When I find whoever hurt Danny though, they will wish they were dead" Dylan replied setting the cold packs down. 

The other two nodded. Nobody gets to hurt one of their teammates and get away with it. 

"Can I scare them too? I have a few tricks that might be fun to play on who ever did this." Lula asked coming back with the bowl and face cloth. 

"I think we all will" Merritt said. Jack added his two bits also about wanting revenge. Dylan smiled softly. There was his team. 

Li walked back from the cockpit. "The Eye has some medical staff that will meet us when the plane lands. We are all going to one of the safe houses that has medical facilities. They are also wondering if you are planing on changing your planes for New Years?" 

Dylan frowned looking at Danny. "Not yet, let's wait to see what the professionals say about Danny. If it's one thing I know is that he will hate if we had to hold up the show because of him." 

"Alright I'll let them know" Li replied before looking down at the man before leaving. 

Dylan grabbed Danny hand holding it close while he wiped his head with the cool cloth. The others all lost in thought as they took up seats around him.

.-.-.-

Once landed, a doctor and two nurses boarded the plane with a stretcher. They quickly took control. They did not move Dylan away from Danny like they did the rest as they got him onto the stretcher and carefully out of the plane which had Dylan thankful. 

The trip to the safehouse was quiet. The three horsemen sat in the front of the vehicle while Dylan stayed with Danny the in the back with the medical team. 

Soon they were at the safe house and Danny was wheeled into one of the rooms. They had Dylan stay outside with the other three. Telling them that they need room and for them to wait outside until somebody came out for them. 

It seemed like forever before one of the nurses allowed Dylan to come in and an hour after that for the rest of them to come back inside.

They walked in noticing that Danny was still out but hooked to a few different machines and bags of fluid. He was switched out into a hospital gown making him appear even more sickly. 

Dylan sat by his side watching over their teammate. 

"How is he?" Jack asked moving to stand across from Dylan on Danny's other side. 

"He's badly dehydrated and sleep deprived. They are also worried about how skinny he is. He's twenty pounds underweight." Dylan said softly. "They think he caught an infection from going into the water that spread quickly due to his severely compromised immune system. Thankfully he is responding to the antibiotics, they think he should awake sometime later today." Dylan said looking to his team with a weary smile.

"I take it there is more?" Merritt said moving to stand by Dylan. 

Dylan clenched his fists. "Let's just say when we find whoever did this to Danny will die" 

Merritt nodded setting a hand on Danny foot. 

Jack grabbed the other hand while Lula sighed sadly. 

They stayed in the room with Danny as they worked on their plan for New Years. They reworked how they were going to set it up with Danny needing to take it easier but none of them wanted to work on a plan that he could not be a part of. 

 

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you all think? 
> 
> I just don't seem to give Danny boy a true break do I? 
> 
> Next chapter be warned that it was a very difficult chapter to write. I rewrote it from start to finish, three times putting in and taking out different parts and I'm likely going to still edit it right until I post it. Which is why I needed the extra time to write it. It will come out tomorrow afternoon. So knowing that you guys live possibly everywhere that's time is in mountain standard/daylight time. 
> 
> On the bright side though I have a feeling this story will be longer then ten chapters so yay.
> 
> Well take care and see you at the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so here is chapter 7. First I would like to thank everyone for the kudos and comments. 
> 
> Man this chapter was a pain to write and I'm still annoyed at parts of it but if I keep messing with it anymore I fear it's going to get worse. 
> 
> On that note this chapter has a lot of ups and downs so be prepared for a roller coaster ride of emotions. 
> 
> I don't own the characters of the NYSM franchise.

Chapter 7

 

It was late afternoon by the time Daniel woke up. He awoke feeling drowsy and warm. He could hear music playing in the back ground but what really confused him was the pressure on his hand. Forcing his eyes opened he move to look and had to blink at seeing Dylan sitting beside him holding his hand, playing on his phone with the other. 

"Did I die?" He asked wincing at the pain in his throat. 

Dylan turned setting the phone down to look at him giving him a soft smile "Hey you are awake, how are you feeling?" 

Daniel noticed that Dylan had started to rub his hand over his. It felt nice and took all of Daniel brainpower to not just think on it and let it lull him back to sleep. 

"I don't know? What happened?" He replied before moving to rub his sore throat. Lifting his arm he noticed more needle then he felt needed to be in it. Frowning he looked looked around the room seeing the almost hospital setup. 'What the?' He thought to himself. 

Dylan grabbed a cup and filled it with water from a jug before carefully handing it to Daniel. Daniel mourned the lost of Dylan's hand holding his but he forced himself to let it go. The man was only holding it because he thought Daniel was unconscious in some act of kindness. 

Daniel muttered a quick thanks, hating how rough it sounded, before sipping the water. All is a sudden it was like he could not get enough and had the cup swallowed down within seconds. 

"Take it easy," Dylan said. "Don't want you to choke on it." 

"Uh sorry" Daniel said setting the cup down. 

Dylan moved to refill it so Danny would be able to sip it if he felt like it. 

 

Daniel looked around the room, his head was starting to feel a little clearer and he noticed that he was hooked up to the equipment. What freak him out more was that his wrists were showing and that he was in one of those hospital gowns that hid nothing. 

He about to hide his bruised wrists, when he remembered it was too late and Dylan already saw his wrists. But still he could not stop fidgeting with them. Trying to cover them up with his hands. Pulling the blankets higher up. 

"What's going on?" He asked looking back at Dylan. "Why am I here?" 

"What's the last thing you remember?" Dylan asked sitting back down in the chair. .

Danny frowned looking down at the bed spread. "Uh, I remember Walter kidnapping us. Me being an idiot. Saving you from the river. Coming up with a plan to stop both Walter and Tressler. A plane ride to London?"

"Right we were on a plane to London." Dylan responded,"anything eles?" 

Danny looked up confused. "You? I remember you saying it was not my fault which I still don't understand. I think I also had a dream of you," he said before going red "uh you telling me that everything will be fine." He muttered quickly. 

"Then me falling asleep on you was," Daniel trailed off, starting to go red. 

"Was real, yes. Don't worry about, your not in trouble." Dylan said with a chuckle. 

"Oh great," Daniel replied bringing a hand to his face. "Did I do anything else to make a fool out of myself?" 

Dylan smiled shaking his head "No, you were fine. How are you feeling now?" 

Daniel shrugged taking another sip of the water, truthfully he felt horrible now that he was fully awake. His body ached and his brain felt foggy but he was not going to mention it, "Alright, I'll live." Before he started to panic. What day was it? Did he miss the last act? "How long have I been in here?" He quickly asked. 

"Only most of today," Dylan replied. "The team has been worried about you. They were all there when we had found you collapsed." 

"I see" Danny said looking down. Great now they all knew how weak he was. How was this fair?

"I sent them out to help get everything ready for the last act. They were getting fidgety so now they are running around London finding areas to hold the act." 

Dylan sighed, "I want to ask you something" 

Daniel felt his body stiffen. Was Dylan going to ask him to leave after the last act. Maybe even now since he probably looks so weak laying here in bed and was not out helping. Biting his lip he responded with a soft "Okay?" 

"Was Jared abusing you? Physically? Mentally?" Dylan asked watching Daniel intently. 

Daniel froze feeling the air in his lungs get trapped. That was not what he was expecting or wanting to be asked. How did he find out. "No" he forced out trying to hide the trembling the mans name caused. "Why do you ask?"

Dylan moved to sit lower causing Daniel to be a bit higher then him. It made Daniel confused to why Dylan would put him in a higher position as Dylan was the one asking the questions.

"Danny, you had said some interesting thing about Jared on the plane in your fevered state, and then when the doctors did a full examination on you when they brought you in here to find out why you collapsed. They found the bruises and the scars. The ones not just on your wrists, but on your ankles and hips and back and neck. Majority of them look to have at least happen in the last six months. They are worried about possible abuse." Dylan sighed "They mentioned that it look like there is also possible sexual abuse. They want to know in case they should do further testing." 

Daniel started to fold up bringing his knees to his chest. "No, no, no" he started to mutter. They were not supposed to find out. He had it all under control. Now Dylan must think that he is so weak he can't even defend himself. 

"Danny" Dylan said placing a hand on the bed near Danny. 

"Don't" Daniel yelled before flinching. He looked away from Dylan's eyes not wanting to see the pity in them. "Don't pity me, I can't have you pity me. Kick me off the team. Send me back to New York but don't pity me" he said softly. 

"Your not going anywhere near New York for the next while, I can promise you that Danny. And your not going to ever get kicked off the team. But the doctors want to know. I want to know" Dylan said softly. 

Danny could feel the anger and hysteria rise in him, he was so done with everything. He was tired of his body hurting, his head hurting. He just wants to be a horsemen. Why can't he have just that one thing? Why did Jared had to take that away too? 

"Fine you want to know? Alright I was raped by a monster that called himself my boyfriend. He blackmailed me to let him do whatever he wanted, so he wouldn't tell the police about you and the other horsemen? He had me tied down and fucked by five other men on Christmas night." He watched as Dylan flinched as he spoke his voice raising in volume. 

"Yah that's right, the night before this whole thing started and all I could do was lie there and take it. Is that what they want to know? Is that what you want to know? That I was not strong enough to fight back against Jared and in my weakness I thought I was contacting the Eye but instead it was Walter? That he played me also? Because I'm a stupid, weak, whore!" Danny yelled, tears running down his face looking at Dylan's shocked face. He tucked his head back into his knees. Sobs shaking his whole body.

He could hear Dylan get up from the chair he was sitting on and thought for sure that Dylan was going to leave the room. Leave him because now he knew the truth about how they got into this position. Now he knew that everything was almost certainly Daniel fault. 

Which is why he jumped when he felt Dylan sit down beside him, pulling him close into a hug.

"I don't know what to say to make you feel better but I will say this. You are not weak. None of it was your fault, Jared was a monster who put you in that position. You are not stupid Danny, Jared made you think you are but your not. You were put between a rock and a hard place an you did what you could to survive. You are so strong and I'm amazed that you gave up so much to protect us. If anything we failed you for not seeing the signs early enough. I failed you and I understand if you can't work with me or this team anymore because of it. If you hate me." Dylan said firmly. 

Daniel felt shocked. Dylan thought he hated him? How can he say that? Dylan should hate him, not the other way around. Danny would never allowed Jared to get such a strong hold of him if he hated Dylan. He shook his head moving to hug Dylan closer trying to let him know that he was wrong. Hiding his face in Dylan's shirt as he felt tears run down his face. He sniffed trying speak without making a bigger fool of himself. "I can't. You didn't know because I never wanted anyone to find out how dirty I am. You gave me something to fight for. I love being a horsemen you can't take that away from me. I may as well be back with Jared if you do." He trailed off feeling he said to much. 

Dylan just held the man close "I won't ever take that from you Danny. You are a horsemen and there is nothing that can take that away from you." He said softly. 

"Even though I ruined everything? That I'm not perfect? That I'm damaged?" Daniel said softly wiping at his eyes. 

"I can never see you as anything less then you are. Which is an amazing, caring, protective magician." Dylan said pulling back. 

Daniel smiled sadly, looking away. "Thank you" 

They sat there for a few minutes Dylan gently rubbing Daniel back helping him calm down his breathing. While Daniel was happy to be held again by Dylan he wondered when Dylan was going to get sick of his clinging. He knew he should stop but it felt nice and he didn't want to give it up just yet. 

"How much does the rest know?" Danny asked after a bit. 

"They saw the bruising on your wrists and arms and that you are underweight and severely dehydrated. I don't think they are aware of anything else though Merritt might have an idea. They are worried for you and they all want to kill who did this to you." Dylan said honestly. 

Danny rubbed at his showing wrists,"I don't think so. You heard them, they all think I'm stupid to let Walter get to me. I don't want them to find out how much Jared got to me also. I just want to forget about it, about that night, about this whole thing." Danny replied. 

"I get that, and if you don't want the team to know about Jared then I won't say anything but trying to just forget about something like this, it won't work." Dylan replied 

Danny pulled away looking to the door hating that he was about to start to cry again. Feeling more annoyed at himself he snapped "What you want me to talk to a therapist? Spill all my secrets, find out that the reason I let myself get into this position was because I have some misguided daddy issues?"

Dylan sighed. "It doesn't need to be a therapist, you can talk to me, or if you don't want to talk, write it out. Just something to get it out. Holding it inside of you, it festers. It infects every decision you make. I don't want you to be hurt any longer by this. I don't want you questioning ever move you make because of what that monster told you." 

Danny looked back at Dylan feeling ashamed at himself for not being able to give Dylan an answer. "I don't, I can't. Not now, it's too much. I need time, please" 

"You can take all the time you want for this, I'll be right there waiting for you" Dylan said running a couple of fingers down Daniel cheek rubbing the tear tracks away. 

"Why are you being so nice about this? Why do you care? Because of me you almost died" Danny asked feeling so confused. Dylan should hate him. Why was he being so gentle with him? 

Dylan sighed pulling away to just sit beside him. "I could say that it's because I'm this teams leader but that would be only half the truth." 

Daniel frowned "So tell me the whole truth." 

Dylan looked to Daniel, "The real truth is that since the time I met you I have been in love with you. Your wit, your brains, your smile. When you got together with Henley I thought I had no chance and I was just going to leave it alone. I guess I was hoping that if I could not be with you in that way, then being your leader would suffice. I understand if you don't feel the same. I don't want to force you to think about this when you already are dealing with so much." 

Danny opened his mouth in shock. Of all the things he was planing to hear, that was not anywhere near what he thought Dylan was going to tell him. The best he had hoped for was that Dylan thought he still had some use. To hear that the man he has loved for ages, tell him he loved him too. Even after he told Dylan about what had happened to him. It was mind blowing. He didn't know what to say. 

Dylan moved to get up off the bed probably taking Daniel shock as a negative when Daniel unfroze and thought 'screw it' and pulled the man back and into a kiss. 

Dylan responded quickly holding Danny's head gently. It was a soft chaste kiss, one that had no hidden meaning or intent, just surprise and happiness. Pulling back Daniel saw Dylan's amazed face. 

"So that means?" Dylan asked looking hopeful. 

"I want you too," Daniel replied going red. "I uh, have for a long time. It's what got me through everything." 

Dylan smiled softly before pulling Danny into a hug. "Your amazing you know that?" 

Daniel shrugged. He didn't understand how Dylan could say that when he was just being selfish, but he held on tighter not wanting to let go. He wasn't done with being selfish yet. 

Dylan said he loved him. He never thought he would have Dylan love him. That Dylan wanted a relationship with him. Thats when he froze before looking at Dylan. "What about your pretty Interpol agent?" 

Dylan frowned, "what about Alma?" 

"I don't want to come between you two. She can offer so much more then I can" Danny said trying to pull away. 

Dylan chuckled bringing Danny back close, "I don't know where any of you have got the idea I was with her. She is a wonderful friend and is becoming quite the magician but there was never anything between us. She knew how I felt about you before even I did, and has been trying to convince me to ask you out for ages" 

Danny blinked "really? But she's perfect for you" 

"Nah, I think you are much more my type then she could ever be. I have a soft spot for self proclaimed control freaks. " Dylan said with a grin fighting down the blush. 

Danny chuckled feeling his own blush rise, "your blushing" he said in awe. 

Dylan grinned pulling him close "yah, you do that to me" 

Daniel smiled but tucked his head close, amazed at how comfortable it had become. He imagined that he would feel but the real thing was so much better. 

-.-.-.-.- 

They sat there for awhile letting the silence come over them. Danny slowly feeling his eyes shut when he heard the door open. 

Looking he saw a man with a white doctor coat come in. 

"I see I should have knocked, my apologies. But I do need to speak with Atlas, now that you are awake" the doctor said with a soft smile coming up. 

Daniel felt his blush return as he moved to sit up fully. 

"Uh it's no problem, we were just uh" Daniel started before going darker red while the doctor and Dylan laughed. 

"No need to explain, I've heard you two had a rough couple of days. It's fine, but I have some personal questions to ask you Mister Atlas. " the doctor said grabbing a chair and sitting down. 

"Uh Daniel please" Daniel replied quickly. 

"Of course, you can call me Mark, now do you want Dylan here or should I kick him out. Let it be known that some of these questions are going to get quite personal. " the doctor said 

Daniel looked over to Dylan who had moved so he could get up. "It's fine if you want me to go" Dylan said gently. 

"I" Daniel started looking to his hands. 

"How about Dylan just goes outside and if you want him back in we can call him back" the doctor said kindly. 

"I'm sure you have other more important things to do then wait out in the hall for me" Daniel said softly. 

Dylan rolled his eyes before giving Daniel a soft kiss on the cheek "nope, your wellbeing is much more important to me. I'll just be outside so you can yell for me whenever. " 

Daniel blinked raising a hand to his cheek where Dylan had kissed him. "Oh, uh, alright" he said his mind frozen.

Dylan grinned before leaving the room. Shutting the door softly behind him. 

"He's an interesting man that Dylan" the doctor said bringing Daniel attention back to him. "He seems to be quite sweet on you. How long have you been going out? " 

"It's uh, really new. I don't even know what to call us even or if we even are an us." Daniel said softly. Feeling his blush come back. 

"Ah new relationships are always fun to navigate. I'm sure you two will have plenty of time to talk about it after. Now how are you feeling?" Mark replied. 

Daniel shrugged, truthfully he felt foggy and wanted to sleep but he was not wanting to say that to the doctor. 

"Pretty off huh?" Mark said with a nod. "The drugs we have you on are going to make you feel like that, but it's the quickest way to get you back at it for your next act. You caught a nasty virus from your little swim through that dirty river water. Thankfully medicine we have you on will clears it up quick. You should be up and running by tomorrow afternoon as long as you keep taking it for the next week. "

Daniel frowned looking at Mark carefully. "Your a mentalist aren't you" he asked. 

The man nodded "ah they told me you were quick to pick up things. Yes I am. I find it helps me figure out what is going on with my patients when they don't feel like talking. I hope you don't mind but everyone that is employed by the Eye can do some sort of magic. But don't worry I'm not that good at hypnotizing people." 

Daniel sighed, "of course. So I take it you can tell me my whole life's history just by looking at me?" 

Mark laughed "no actually, you are one of my more difficult patients to read. That's why I would really like it if you are as honest as possible so I can help you the best I can." 

Daniel frowned but nodded. The man was nothing like Merritt which was both a good thing and not. He wasn't sure how to take it. 

"So I will just start off and say I did your physical while you were unconscious. Nothing super invasive but I found some matters that are most distressing. Do you want to tell me what happened?" Mark asked. 

Daniel bit his lip, shaking his head.

"I see, well can I ask some questions then? It's okay if you don't want to answer but I would appreciate it if you did." Mark said. "The marks on your wrists, they are from being tied down?" 

Daniel nodded slowly. 

"And your legs too?" 

Daniel looked down but gave a quick nod. 

"I don't think it was consensual was it" Mark asked softly. 

Daniel closed his eyes tight. 

"The bruising around the hips look to have happened at the same time so Daniel were you sexually assaulted?" Mark said just as soft. 

"I don't see why it is so important that the Eye would want to know that" Daniel replied holding his arms close. 

"First, the Eye will not have the full details on what had happened. But they want to know so it never happens again. The Eye is very protective of its assets and to find that something like this happened to one of them is highly concerning to them. Second if you were sexually assaulted, then there is some tests we have to do to make sure you were not left with any medical problems." Mark replied softly. "I understand that this must be hard for you but please understand we want to make sure this never happens to you or anyone else." Mark said. 

Daniel twisted his hands looking away. "If I tell you to just do the tests can we stop with the questions?" 

Mark sighed but nodded "for now yes. But I do need to ask you one last question." 

"What?" Daniel asked. 

"This was not the first time this has happened is it?" 

Daniel looked outside with unseeing eyes. His body stiff. "No. It's not." He said quietly. 

"I'm sorry" Mark said softly. "Do you want me to grab Dylan?" 

Daniel swallowed "do you think he is disappointed in me? For allowing this to happen?" 

"No, He is worried about you. But I don't think he could ever be disappointed about you. Now do you want me to do the tests before or after he comes in?" 

"What's all involved?" Daniel asked. 

"Well I would like a full rape kit to be done, which includes an examination for tears and injuries related to being raped. Along with blood work and swabs to check for STI's

Daniel covered his eyes with a hand trying not to panic too badly. "Can we avoid the exam?" he said shakily. 

The doctor nodded his acceptance, "Alright, but I will have to ask a couple more questions then."

"Like what?" Daniel asked softly. 

"How long ago did the last attack happen?" 

"Christmas Day" Daniel replied looking away. 

"And how many attackers?"

"Five including my ex" Daniel whispered. 

Mark gave him a sad smile. "Did they use any form of protection?" 

Daniel looked up to the roof, trying to stop the tears from falling. "I don't remember"

Mark quickly made a note, "And did you notice any blood after?" 

Daniel looked to Mark before looking away, tucking his head into his knees, "A bit" 

"Is there still fresh blood or pain after having a bowel movement?" Mark asked. 

Daniel went red but shook his head still looking away. 

"Alright, that's enough." Mark said gently. "Well, I still have the blood work to get and I'm going to get rid of these iv's. So you don't feel like a pin cushion anymore. I don't think they will help anymore then simple rest and food will " 

Licking his lips Daniel asked "will I be able to leave this room after?" 

Mark frowned "yes but only if you come back for a shot and that you make sure you rest and have something to eat. Supper and a snack. Both do not need to be big, but they need to be something." 

"Please" Daniel asked. 

"Alright let me just get some blood then I'll let you loose." Mark said before quickly getting the blood samples. 

Once done Mark tucked everything into a container before heading to the door. 

Dylan came in as soon as the door was opened and walked right over to Daniel. 

"Are you okay?" He asked softly. 

Daniel looked up biting his lip. "I don't know" he said softly. 

Dylan grabbed Daniel hand gently. "Proud of you" he said softly. 

Daniel shrugged not really understanding why, but tightening his grip holding Dylan's hand. 

"Mark said as long as I come back for some more medication tonight I don't need to stay here." Daniel said looking outside. 

"Perfect we can go to the small library and go over the plans for the next act. Let me just go and get you some clothes." Dylan said rubbing his thumb over Daniel hand. 

Daniel looked over to Dylan, "Thank you" he said softly. 

"My pleasure" Dylan replied bringing Daniel hand up to his lips and gently kissing it before heading to the door across the room entering another room. 

Daniel eyes widen at the action and at the words as he watched Dylan move away. He has never had someone do that before. It felt nice, he mused, giving a small smile. He only hoped Dylan did something like that again. 

He watched as Dylan brought back a couple of different sweaters and shirts along with some pants. Setting them all on the bed. 

"I'll go out and give you some privacy. Call out of you need help with anything" Dylan said softly before kissing Daniel hand again before leaving the room. 

Daniel looked down blushing. Yep he definitely liked Dylan doing that. He wondered when and how, Dylan had turned him into a blushing virgin. Shaking his head of the silly thoughts he moved to get changed.

........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. How was it? 
> 
> Like I said this was a tough chapter all around. So I hope you all are not too disappointed with it. 
> 
> Next chapter comes out Friday afternoon mainly because I spent majority of my time rewriting this chapter and not working on the future ones silly me. 
> 
> Thank you all again for reading up to here and see you all later.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone!
> 
> So here is chapter 8. 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and kind words I will be getting on answering comments tonight when I have a chance to sit down.

Chapter 8

Daniel opened the door to the room once he was dressed to find Dylan leaning against the opposite wall, playing with a cell phone. "I see you got a new phone" he said softly. 

"Yah the Eye got us new ones, yours is still in the library. We can get it after. So ready to do a bit of exploring?" Dylan asked putting his phone into his pocket. 

Daniel shrugged, "I guess, but shouldn't we be working on the next act?"

Dylan smiled, "We will, but there is only so many hours of sun light so I thought it would be nice to get some. Come on, we can go check out the court yard." 

Daniel frowned looking around. "Court yard? How big is this place?" 

"It's a fair size, but it's also what the Eye uses as a medical facility so it has a bit more room then some of the other safe-houses." Dylan replied holding his hand out with a soft smile. 

Daniel looked to Dylan's hand before blushing. "If I didn't know better I would say your courting me" he mumbled taking the hand. 

"Maybe I am" Dylan replied giving him a sideways grin before lightly tugging him down the hallway. 

Daniel brain froze as he followed, Dylan admitted he was basically courting him. Why? He already had him. He really isn't some blushing virgin. He said as much out loud, causing them to stop in the hallway as Dylan turned to look at him. 

"I know your not a blushing virgin Danny, but you still deserve to be treated with respect. I don't want you to think I just want you for sex. You have had enough of that. I want you to feel safe with me, that you can trust me to love you and really mean it." Dylan said softly going red. 

"I, uh. I don't know what to say?" Daniel stuttered 

Dylan smiled " tell me, what do you want?" 

"You" Daniel said before going red. "I mean, I never had someone wanting to go through all that work for me. I uh was always doing the persuading and Jared" he huffed looking away, "well he just used my own emotions against me. So I don't know what you are expecting from this, from me" he said softly

Dylan rubbed his thumb over Daniel hand bringing his gaze back to Dylan and their joined hands. 

"How about we just take it slow, and go from here. If I do anything you don't like you tell me alright." Dylan asked. 

"Only if you tell me too, I want an equal relationship." Daniel said looking into Dylan's eyes. He needed to make sure Dylan did not see him as broken china that needed to be catered too. He might not be ready to talk about everything that Jared did to him but he survived. Somewhere in him is still the arrogant control freak that can hurt people without notice, and he does not want to hurt Dylan or his friends because no one is wanting to say anything because they think he could break at any minute. 

From the smile he got back he could tell Dylan knew what he was meaning. 

Dylan nodded "I like the sound of that." 

Daniel gave a soft smile, happy to have that sorted. To know that Dylan did not see him as a weak blushing virgin. That he was healing and as long as Dylan is beside him he can still be one of the best magician and take over the world again. The weight he carried around because of Jared felt a little lighter.

"Well let's get going or the doctor is going to be after me for keeping you from resting" Dylan said with a small grin squeezing Daniel hand. 

"We can't have that, lead on then and tell me about what the team is doing. I know you were texting them when you were out to the hallway" Daniel said giving a light squeeze back. 

"You right, Lula wants to do the final act by the Palace but Merritt and Jack think that might be pushing it with the FBI. " Dylan said with a shake of the head. 

"What about on the Thames river?" Daniel asked looking down. He was too busy thinking over the logistics of it to notice Dylan's bright smile. 

"That's perfect. We can have it where millions of people can see it but still be far enough away so we don't get caught. But Tressler and Walter will" Dylan said with a laugh.

Daniel gave a grin back. He was still him, Jared didn't take everything from him. 

They discussed the idea back and forth as they made their way outside. They chuckled at some of the some of the ideas but most of them had some good merits. 

There was a bit of a bite to the wind but it was still plenty warm enough for how they were dressed. 

They both sat down at one of the table outside. It was one of the rare sunny winter days and both were going to take advantage of it. 

Dylan had brought out a note book and was making notes as they talked making Daniel smile at how exact Dylan was with the planning. He was getting it right down to the faces Walter and Tressler would make at the different acts. Daniel had never actually seen Dylan plan an act before. He just came to them with it already formed, so it was amazing to see it being made and how Dylan's brain worked. The best part was that Dylan was taking his ideas to. He didn't discount them nor did he roll his eyes at them. If an idea didn't work he would tell him why and how if they just tweaked it how most would work. 

They had come up with the big scene of what they wanted to accomplish at Iong's before they left. Now it was just the details to be worked out here. 

They had just started with how they would get the barge on the Thames without being noticed too early when Dylan's phone went off. 

He gave Daniel a soft smile as he went to answer it "Hey" 

Daniel gave a grin back stealing the notebook to jot down some of the ideas he had on a blank page. 

He could see Dylan watch him with amusement tapping at one of the ideas with a nod of his head. "Alright, well we are just in the court yard. If you guys want to come out and tell us what you found." Dylan said into the phone. 

Daniel took that he was talking to one of the other horsemen as he circled the idea Dylan had tapped. 

"Yah Danny is out here too." Dylan said giving said man a grin. "No I did not break him out. No he didn't escape. We left with the doctors blessing." Dylan said with exasperation rolling his eyes. 

Daniel chuckled, at least the others weren't going to assume he was completely helpless now. 

"See you in a bit" Dylan said hanging up the phone and placing it on the table. "Lula is so relieved that you are better that I'm amazed that you could not hear her. Be ready for her to hug you when they get here." He warned. 

Daniel smiled at the warning "well at least I can have you to protect me from to much manhandling. "

"About that, do you want them to know about us? I don't mind either way but you might not want them thinking you get perks because you are with me." Dylan asked. 

"You mean I don't?" Daniel chuckled showing he did not mean it "Honestly I don't really care. I never wanted you because you were the boss of us. It was because of who you are not what you are." Daniel said going red. 

"Nice to know" Dylan said with a chuckle. "How about we wait and see how long it takes them to realize it then?" 

Daniel smiled, "sounds good." 

"What sounds good?" Merritt asked leading the other two out to the table. Lula came rushing around and pulling Daniel into a hug. 

"Oh, one of the plans we came up with." Dylan replied winking to Daniel who was pushing Lula away, causing him to laugh. 

Daniel could see both Merritt and Jack look to each other in shock and wondered why. He didn't do anything but laugh oh. How long ago was it since he felt free enough to just laugh. Thinking back it was since before Henley left. He looked back to Dylan to see him smiling at Daniel also. He ducked his head a bit hiding the blush at Dylan adoring look. 

"Oh what did you two come up with?" Lula asked taking a seat across from them on the round table. 

"We were thinking of the Thames river for the big reveal" Daniel said. 

"Yah that might be easier then Lula's suggestion." Jack said also taking a seat.

Merritt sat down on Lula other side beside Dylan while Jack was between Lula and Daniel. 

"Hey my idea was a perfectly good idea. Just a tad difficult to pull off so soon." Lula said looking to Jack before looking to Daniel. "So how are you feeling?"

"Alright, could be better but I'll rest up after we get rid of Tressler and his bastard son Walter. How's the running around going? Need help?" Danny asked 

"Whoa man, you were just seen by the doctors" Jack said 

"And?" Danny replied 

"I think what Jack is trying to say is that you collapsed because you were not giving yourself a rest." Merritt said 

"Yah we got some time, you can rest now, get yourself healed up, we can handle the set up of everything." Jack said nodding

"I'm fine, alright. I can handle it. I don't need you guys to mother hen me." Danny replied frowning. 

"If by fine you mean starved, dehydrated, and sleep deprived then sure your fine." Merritt said leaning against the table. "What you don't get is that we found you unconscious against a counter. I had to help carry you to a couch. Jack, Dylan and I saw how different you are compared to a year ago. I could count your ribs. We heard the doctors worry about getting your fever under control. You were attached to five different bags of fluid. So yah we are going to be a little worried for you."

Daniel looked to Dylan for help but he just shrugged "I told you, you had worried us Danny. I think it's reasonable if you let them do the running around while you get to take a bit of a break." 

Daniel looked away, feeling upset. 

"We're not excluding you from the plans if that's what your worried about. We just don't want you to faint on us during them" Lula piped in. 

Danny could not stop the clenching his jaw, he's not weak he can handle it. "If that's what you want" he said. 

Dylan moved so he was looking at Danny's face "none of us think that your weak Danny. In fact I think your one of the strongest people I know, but even strong people need to have a break every once and a while." He said softly. 

Danny searched his face looking for any possibilities of a lie but he found none. He reached out to grab Dylan's hands "I can help. You know I can." 

"I know which is why you and I are going to go over the plans with a fine tooth comb accounting for any and all possibilities while those three run around with the Eye to make sure everything is set up" Dylan said wrapping his hand around Daniel. 

"Your staying with me?" Daniel asked surprised. "I mean your not going to be running around making sure everything is set up also?" 

"I might go on the morning of New Year's Eve to check for everything, but you will be coming too. Between the Eye and our Horsemen, I trust that everything will be fine." Dylan replied pulling Danny's hand close. 

Daniel gave a quick smile, well he could live with that. 

"Hey does this mean I win the bet?" Merritt asked looking to Jack. 

Jack groaned while Danny looked to both of them confused. 

"What bet?" He asked. 

Merritt grinned "the one we had about how long it would take you two to get together" 

Daniel frowned "you had a bet going on us getting together?"

"Yep and you just won me a drink when everything is done" Merritt said. 

Daniel looked to Jack feeling betrayed. "A drink? That's it? I told you not to become him. How could you?" 

Jack gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry?" 

Daniel looked over to Lula seeing her grin. "Were you in on this?" 

"No but I must admit you two are cute with each other, a fandom could be wrote about it." She grinned "now what should your couples name be Danlan? Dyliel? Nah how about Shrlas? Atlike? Ugg there is no good couple names." 

Daniel looked back to Dylan leaning away from Lula, "she scares me" he stage whispered. 

"Her heart is in the right place" Dylan said with a grin pulling Daniel hands to his lips giving a soft kiss to Daniel fingers. 

Daniel felt his blush rise as the other three horsemen all make cooing noises along with light teases. 

"Shut up" he grumbled glaring at them but squeezing Dylan's hand. 

"Aw but I was thinking we should change your nickname to Blushy instead of Buffy" Merritt said with a grin. 

"Don't you dare Mer Bear" Daniel said glaring at Merritt. 

Merritt winced "maybe I was a little hasty with the nickname?" 

"Mer Bear really?" Dylan asked turning to look at Merritt with a raised eyebrow. 

Lula and Jack were almost on the ground with their giggles. 

"Well my annoying and uglier looking twin, focus word being uglier, was being his normal self-serving, well self. And he might have said something that may or may not be true." Merritt replied. 

"Uh huh really?" Dylan nodded with a chuckle "I think it suits you." 

Daniel watched as Merritt made a show of resignatio, muttering, "Oh great", but he could see the smile the man had under his hat. 

"Hey wouldn't it be great if we got him too" Lula asked once she caught her breath. 

"Hey yah, he was a ass to us maybe he should suffer with Walter and Tressler" Jack replied nodding. 

"I'm sure it wouldn't be to hard to work him in the plan. He probably will be coming with them, this way we can play him too" Dylan said grabbing the note book back. 

"Oh if I know my brother he will definitely be there" Merritt said. 

"Okay so here's what we got so far" Dylan said showing everyone all the plans they had come up with over the last day. 

It was not until it was getting dark and Daniel had started to shiver that they took everything inside. Relocating into the library they spent another hour working on ideas. 

Li had to drag them out for supper muttering about how none of the horsemen take care of themselves in mandarin. Causing Dylan to chuckle as he pulled Daniel up from the couch they were on. 

Daniel raised an eyebrow at the exchange but allowed Dylan to keep holding his hand as they walked to the little dining room. 

Sitting down to eat Daniel took a little bit of everything not really feeling hungry. He was too busy writing down an idea for an act that he did not see the others watching him as he took a bite of his salad. It was not until he looked up did he catch a glance that was getting passed around. 

"What are you guys doing?" He asked. 

"Nothing" Jack and Lula said looking guilty while Merritt shook his head. 

Dylan who was sitting beside him sighed "they are worried about how your still not really eating." 

Daniel frowned "i'm eating" he said looking at his plate. 

"Yah but not enough, your like a bean pole." Lula said. 

"I'm not underweight" he said looking to where Merritt gave a snort. 

"What? I'm not. " Daniel said looking to everyone. 

"If that's what you want to keep telling yourself but the doctor said you were underweight." Merritt said

Daniel frowned shaking his head, "I don't know how? I eat. "

"Really because I've seen you eat like two thing since this whole thing started?" Lula muttered under her breath. 

"I" Daniel froze thinking back "okay so I haven't eaten much since we left Macau. I don't see how that means I'm underweight?" 

"Well I don't know about you but if I went that long without food I would be starving right now. But you are still barely eating" Jack said pointing to his barely eaten plate.

"I'm just not hungry?" Daniel said feeling a bit of panic set in at the three looks he was getting from the other horsemen. What did he do wrong? Jared voice started to pipe up in his head. Telling him how worthless he was and how could the others stand to be around him. 

Dylan grabbed his hand from his lap bringing Daniel attention to him. Looking into Dylan's brown eyes he could see that Dylan understood. 

"It's okay, they are just being worry warts. Just eat what you can for now. We can have a snack later." Dylan said. 

Daniel bit his lip, looking at his plate before looking at the rest. "I'll try to eat more, it not like I'm forcing myself to eat less. I just don't." 

"As long as you don't go days again with not eating anymore then I'm alright." Jack said giving Daniel a quick grin. 

Daniel gave a soft smile back before picking up his fork and started to eat again. Dylan still was holding his hand under the table helping him feel anchored to the now and not to the past. 

He ate as much as he could before pushing his plate back. He didn't eat nearly as much as the others but it was still more then he has eaten in a while. 

Dylan gave his hand a light squeeze and a smile as he finished off his plate. 

They all made their way back to the library to finish planning. Daniel curled up in the corner of the couch with Dylan sitting beside him as they walked through their act they had finished. Dylan's leg was pressed against his creating a warm feeling in Daniel chest. 

Daniel could feel his eyes threatening to close. With everything that had gone on and the fact his body was still fighting off his recent illness it was amazing he was still awake. He knew it was likely sheer stubbornness for him to be up for as long as he has been. 

He was fighting to keep his eyes open so he could help, but was slowly losing the battle as he listen to his teammates voices and Dylan's go through the plan. Everyone was safe, he was safe. He could rest for a few minutes. Doctors orders and all. He let his eyes close and let sleep take him. 

...........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a nice easy chapter after the last one. I hope you all liked it. Let me know if there is any spelling errors you have noticed so far. 
> 
> Chapter 9 will be out Sunday evening becuase I will be busy most of the day. 
> 
> See you all then.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. 
> 
> So wow Thank you all for the kudos and really nice comments. Each one has me doing a little jump for joy. I never imagined my little plot bunny would become so popular. 
> 
> Here is chapter 9 I hope you all enjoy. 
> 
> None of the cast of NYSM2 are mine.

Chapter 9

Dylan could feel the moment Daniel fell asleep. It was like his whole body relaxed into the couch. He looked over, smiling gently at the man. Looking back to the other three horsemen he could see them smiling also. 

"I was wondering how long it was going to take for him to crash." Merritt said softly getting up and grabbing a blanket from a different couch to hand to Dylan to place it on Danny. 

"Yah, I guess his mind finally let his body take over" Dylan said softly before turning to the others. 

"Do you guys want to go through what we have so far or take a break?" 

"I wouldn't mind stretching my legs for a bit." Jack said getting up. 

"Oh I'm up for some exploring" Lula said bouncing up. 

"I would be up to finding where they stash the liquor in this place" Merritt said getting up also. 

"Alright; come back in an hour or so." Dylan said gathering the papers. 

The three nodded before leaving the room. 

Dylan placed the plans into a pile before looking back at Daniel. He didn't want to leave the man alone but he knew he needed to give his mind a break from all the planning, so getting up carefully he moved to see what was all on the shelves. Picking out a few interesting books, he sat down in the empty arm chair Merritt had left so not to wake Danny, and started to read. 

It was only twenty minutes later he heard a soft whimper come from the couch. Looking over he could see Danny holding his body tense, a few tears running down his face as he let out a little whimper again. 

Dylan got up quickly moving to the man crouching down in front of him. 'A nightmare' Dylan thought to himself. He carefully placed his hand on Danny shoulder feeling the flinch. 

"Danny, it's okay. Your safe" he said softly. 

The fidgeting and the whimpering got worse and soon the whimpering turned into mumbling. 

"No don't, I'm sorry. Don't! Stop please!" Danny screamed sitting, up wide awake. 

He was panting hard, whole body shakes were going through him. He was looking around the room in a panic before his eyes landed on Dylan. Before closing his eyes and slumping back into the chair. 

Dylan watched as Danny brought his hands up to rub at his eyes. Wiping away the traces of tears. 

"Danny?" He asked softly. 

"Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep" he mumbled still not looking at Dylan. 

"It's okay, your body still needs to rest." Dylan replied moving to sit beside the man.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" 

Danny sighed "no, just give me a few minutes and I'll be alright." He replied. 

Dylan nodded his head. Danny will tell him when he was ready, "Okay"

They sat there for a couple of minutes while Danny brought his breathing back into order. 

"How long was I out for?" Danny finally asked, not looking up from the ground. 

"About twenty minutes, we decided to take an a hour break, the rest went to explore the house. Once we noticed you had crashed" Dylan replied. 

"Ah" Danny replied sounding relieved. 

"Do you have nightmares like that often?" Dylan asked 

Danny looked up and over to Dylan fear in his eyes. 

"If I say yes, are you going to leave?" He asked softly. 

Dylan took Danny's hand, "No of course not. Just wanting to know if it was because of everything that happened today."

"It could be part of it" Danny replied squeezing his hand. 

"Ah, does anything help?" Dylan asked. 

Danny shrugged "nothing I know of yet has helped." 

"We will figure it out" Dylan said with a soft smile. 

Danny gave him a small smile before turning to look at the papers. 

"Do you want to go find Mark and get your shot while the rest are still exploring?" Dylan asked. 

"I guess, have I ever told you I hate needles?" Danny said pushing himself up before pulling Dylan up too with their joined hands. 

"Really, you didn't panic when you saw them in you?" Dylan replied getting up. 

"Once they are in I don't care, it's the anticipation before aspect that I hate." Danny replied.

"I'll just have to distract you then" Dylan replied. 

"What going to show me a magic trick oh fearless leader?" Danny teased. 

Dylan felt his lips twitch "something like that" 

Danny rolled his eyes but gave him a hundred watt smile. 

\-----.......

Holding Dylan's hand down to the medical room helped get rid of the last traces of terror from Daniel's mind. Granted the innocent teasing helped to. He grinned to himself, thinking back on it. Somehow Dylan knew what to do without Daniel ever needing to ask. He didn't push him to tell about the nightmare. He just took it in stride and gave Daniel something else to think about. 

They found the doctor reading in one of the small dens that littered the safe house.

"Oh good, I take it your here for your shot?" Mark asked setting his book to the side. 

"Yah I guess" Daniel replied. 

"Perfect, did you have anything to eat yet?" Mark asked getting up. 

Daniel gave a small shrug, "Li grabbed us for supper. I ate a bit" 

"A bit is better then nothing. Did you feel sick or queasy at all after?" Mark asked leading them out of the room. 

"No, just full" Daniel replied. 

"That's good. I was worried that the food might be a bit rich so I had Li make a bit blander food. Did you rest at all?" Mark asked taking them into the room he woke up in. 

Daniel was starting to feel like he was being interrogated. He was also a little miffed at the fact that he was telling others to go easy on him. "We sat outside for a bit then moved to the library while we planned for the act." He said knowing his tone could be classified as snippy but he didn't care. 

"Huh, did you sleep at all?" Mark asked getting the medicine ready. 

Daniel was about to snap about why was he going to put him to bed if he didn't when Dylan gave his hand a squeeze and said. "He had a nap before coming here. Don't worry he knows how to take care of himself" 

Mark raised his eyebrows at Dylan before looking over to Daniel who was glaring at Dylan. "I know, just wanted to see how far Daniel would let me dig before he got mad. now shall we get this over with? I'm sure you will feel better once it's done." He replied looking to Daniel. 

Daniel groaned, of course the man was playing with him. "annoying mentalist" he muttered. 

Mark gave a chuckle before pointing to the bed to sit down on. 

Daniel let go of Dylan's hand as he made his way over to sit down, feeling apprehension at seeing the needle. His eyes would not look away no matter how much he tried, all he could do was watch the needle. 

"Hey Danny what do you say about sharing a kiss on New Year's Day to mark a new beginning" Dylan said. 

Daniel "Wait? What?" He said turning to look at Dylan before feeling a stab with the needle. "Ouch, that's mean" he grumbled. 

Dylan gave him a soft smile. "I'm sorry, but it got your mind off the needle right?" 

Daniel glared "you said you were going to do a magic trick" 

"No, you just thought I would." Dylan replied coming closer. 

"Oh so your also not going to follow through with what you said?" He asked raising an eyebrow. 

Dylan rolled his eyes before giving Daniel an intense look. "if you want a kiss you just have to come get it" he asked with a grin. 

Daniel looked down to his arm to see that everything was done. 

"You going to leave him hanging?" Mark asked putting everything away. 

Daniel rolled his eyes before looking back to Dylan. "I should" he said. 

Dylan raised an eyebrow before giving a shrug. "Your lost" he said before turning around and leaving. 

Daniel gaped before taking off after him. Once in the hallway he spun Dylan around before covering his mouth with his own. He could feel Dylan gently grab his neck and waist pulling him close as he grabbed Dylan's head tangling his fingers in Dylan short, curly hair. 

This kiss was much longer then their first. It was more heated then their first, but no less gentle as Dylan let Daniel lead it. 

Daniel pulled back breathing hard. His whole body felt warm and giddy. Looking up he could see Dylan had a small smile on his face, his eyes closed, breathing just as hard.

"So was that okay?" Daniel had to ask. Starting to feel doubt and insecurity come up. That was the first time he truly took control and while he enjoyed it, didn't mean Dylan would. 

Dylan opened his eyes and gave him a soft grin before moving to kiss Daniel softly. 

"It was wonderful" he said pulling Daniel into another kiss. 

Daniel grinned holding onto Dylan tight kissing him back. 

They did not hear the other horsemen coming up, nor the click from a camera phone. 

It was only until Merritt was talking they should get a room that Daniel and Dylan pulled back and looked at them. 

Daniel could feel himself going red and tucked his face into Dylan's shoulder, while Dylan chuckled. 

"Are we interrupting something?" Jack asked with mirth. 

"Yes you are" Daniel grumbled, glaring at them. 

"We just came looking for you two since neither of you were in the library." Lula said playing with her phone. 

"Yah we came over here so Danny could get his shot after he woke up" Dylan replied "so are you ready to get back to planning?" 

"I'm ready but I'm sure Buffy here wants to kill us all" Merritt said with a chuckle. 

Daniel glared at Merritt and was about to say just what he was going to do when Dylan pulled him into a light kiss. 

"Ignore him, he loves getting a raise out of you. " he said softly. "Let's go finish planing and we can come back to this later." 

Daniel looked at Dylan before nodding. 

Dylan smiled taking Daniel hand and led them back to the library. 

-.-.- 

They spent the rest of the evening planing and working on the show. Li coming in to help once he was done whatever secret thing he was working on. Daniel tried to find out but the man was very tight lipped about it.

They had gotten some snacks while they worked. Dylan trying to place more on Daniel's plate without him noticing in an effort to get him to eat a bit more. Daniel shook his head at the effort but forced himself to eat the food after seeing the grin the others gave each time he took a bite. 

Between the food and the warm atmosphere it wasn't long before Daniel was feeling his eyes start to close again. Only this time he was forcing his eyes to stay open. Not wanting to fall asleep again, not after that last nightmare. 

If it was not for Jacks yawning getting contagious he would have been fine. But the rest soon called it quits so they can go to bed and get a head start on some of the preparation tomorrow. 

Saying night to each of them, Daniel stayed were he sat. Making a show of looking over the plans. Dylan stayed also so in the end it was just the two of them in the room. 

"We should go to bed" Dylan said softly. 

"Go if you want, I'm just going to go over this one more time. " Daniel said keeping his eyes on the papers. Maybe he can just go until he crashed and hoped he didn't get anymore nightmares. 

"Nightmares suck" Dylan replied. 

Daniel frowned looking over, trying to figure out where Dylan was going with this. 

"They show us things we don't want to see, they can make us not want to sleep until all we do is crash." Dylan went on. 

"Look if that's what you think I'm doing, your wrong." Daniel replied calmly forcing the panic away. 

Dylan sighed, "I know that's what your doing because I do it too. You push yourself so that maybe you can have a dreamless sleep because you will be so tired. But the memories come and you wake in a panic. And because of what they are, it makes it hard to fall asleep again because you fear it's just going to go back to that nightmare or be worse." 

Daniel looked away, "What do your nightmares look like?"

"Originally it was my dad dying and my mom and once I decided to be a magician me. All drowning in a safe. But over the last few years it became you and the others being found out. You and the Horsemen being killed because of me. For a while it was seeing Jack in that car during the whole car chase a year ago, even though I knew he was not in it, all I could see was him. There was also you getting shot. That one haunted me for months. I would wake in a cold sweat, freaking out about it. Thing is with nightmares is that they change and sometimes you can make them change for the better." Dylan replied. 

Daniel frowned looking at Dylan, "you can make your dreams change? How?" 

Dylan smiled, "It's a lot like doing self hypnotism. There is also the added benefit of it helping you not being hypnotize easily. It doesn't always work but it's a lot better then doing nothing." 

"And you know how to do this?" Daniel asked getting excited. If he could change his dreams then it would be one less hold Jared had on him. 

"Yah, I've been practicing it for the last ten years ever since I found out about." Dylan replied. 

"Can you teach me?" Daniel said grabbing Dylan's hand. 

Dylan smiled letting his hand be grabbed and letting his fingers interlock with Daniel. "Of course" 

"Great, how do we start? Is there anything you need?" Daniel asked. 

Dylan chuckled at Daniel "well since the end goal is to sleep we should get ready for bed. How about I lead you to where your room is and let you get ready while I grab a couple of things. I'll knock on your door when I have everything. " 

Daniel grinned "okay" he said getting up pulling Dylan up also.

Once Daniel was in his room he realized that Dylan was going to be in here also. That Dylan could do anything he wanted to him if he so desired. Forcing down the panic he moved to get changed. 

He sat on the bed when he was done. Trying to convince himself that Dylan was not going to take advantage of him. That Dylan loved him and respected him. 

Trying to work on keeping his breathing under control he jumped when he heard the knock. 

"Come in" he said cursing how shaky his voice sounded. 

Dylan stepped into the room holding a couple of items. Dylan himself looked ready for bed. Dressed in a soft looking white tee shirt and loose sweat pants. He looked comfortable. 

He must have seen the panic on Daniel face because he stopped right in the door way. 

"I won't hurt you Danny, I swear. If you want to stop this at anytime we can and I will leave your room" he said softly. 

Daniel bit his lip. "No, I don't want Jared to keep dictating my life forever. I want to sleep without him influencing it. I'm tired of being scared because of him" he whispered. 

"Alright, but it's okay if you need to stop or need to pause for a bit. The nice thing is once you know what to do, you can do it on your own." Dylan said coming up. 

"Okay" Daniel replied taking a breath in. "Now what?" 

"Well how about you get under the covers. You don't need to lay down right away so how about sitting cross legged. I'm going to sit in front of you, okay?" Dylan said setting the few things on the bed. 

Daniel nodded making himself comfortable. 

Once Dylan was sitting in front of him he handed him two of the items. A journal with a pen and a stone. 

Daniel raised an eyebrow at the items in his hand. 

"So the first part of controlling your dreams is to think about what you are dreaming about. And since I know your not a fan of letting people know about what's going on in your head and leaving things for people to find, I figured this would be the easiest. This is a journal made of flash paper. Each morning after you wake up or whenever, you need to write down what you dreamed about. Be it a nightmare or something nice. It does not need to be pretty or spelled right or make any sense because dreams hardly ever make sense. This is literally for your eyes only. Once you finish writing down what the dream is, you reread it and think about how it could be better. Even if the dream was pleasant think about how it could be even better. Once you have the image in your head I want you to rip out the paper you just drew on and burn it while thinking you are done with the old dream or nightmare and that you have nicer things to think about. " 

"Okay? Sounds silly but I'll try it" Daniel said unsure looking at the paper. 

"It will help." Dylan replied with a grin. 

"And the stone? Don't tell me you believe in crystal therapy" Daniel said setting the book down beside his bed. 

Dylan chuckled, "This is a type of stone called Malachite. It is said to help get rid of nightmares and negative energy. You are going to use it as a meditation stone. Before you go to bed you are going to hold the stone in your left hand and your right hand is going to be placed on your stomach. With each breath in, you are going to concentrate any bad feelings, any worries you have and let them flow into the stone. As you can seen it has a hole in the top so you can turn it into a pendent. This way you can wear it at night and let the nightmares and bad dreams also flow into it. Each morning you are going to run it under running water to clean the negatively that it gathered through the night." 

Daniel looked at him with a frown. "You can't honestly believe that I would believe that can you?" 

Dylan chuckled before pulling out a pendent he was wearing around his neck. "I didn't believe it either but I decided it couldn't hurt to try it." 

"So it works then?" Daniel asked disbelief coloring his tone. 

"Well something in it works. Like I said you just have to try it" Dylan said with a shrug. 

"Okay is that it? Or is there also a chant you have to do?" Daniel said amused but tightening his had around the stone. 

"No chanting" Dylan said amused. "How about you try it and then we will go on to the next step?" 

Daniel raised an eyebrow but did what Dylan said. Breathing slowly and focusing on the stone. He thought of the nightmare he had earlier and imagined it going into the stone, along with his earlier panic. He was still skeptical about it but Dylan never turned him wrong before so he was going to say that he at least gave it an honest try. 

"Okay what's next?" Daniel asked opening an eye to look at Dylan. 

"Once you are done with the stone you set it down or put it back on depending how you want to wear it. Then with closed eyes take five deep breaths in. Focus on each breath. Let it ground you to the here and now. Feel your body relax." Dylan said soothingly. 

Daniel could feel his whole body start to relax. He knew Dylan was not hypnotizing him and he could stop any minute. But it felt nice and he was curious about what was next. 

"Once you have taken those five breaths I want you to count backwards for ten. After each number I want you to think of the word sleep. After the last thought of sleep I want you to lay down and know that when you wake in the morning you will feel relaxed. Any bad dreams you may have will not effect you." Dylan said slowly moving off the bed. 

"That's it?" Daniel asked laying down. His eyes closed as he felt his body melt into the mattress. He could just barely here Dylan leave the room as his breathing mellowed out. 

"That's it" Dylan replied softly leaving the room and quietly shutting the door. 

And with that Daniel felt himself fall asleep knowing he will at least sleep good tonight. 

..............

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So how was it? 
> 
> The dream thing is part made up, part researched, and part what I have used once and a while to relax and sleep. 
> 
> Chapter 10 will be out Tuesday morning. 
> 
> Also since this seems to be a commen question. Yes Jared will be getting what's coming to him. I'm just working on all the details, I want to make sure I do it right and not just kill off the evil dude. (Granted that would be fun :p)
> 
> Thank you again for all the support. I will be answering more comments later tonight to give my personal thanks to those who have taken the time to give me such wonderful words of encouragement. 
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Jade


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so first off do you know how nervous/excited I was to see 4 new comments when I woke up yesterday. Like wow that was a rush. You are all so wonderful and I just love this little fandom. So thank you, thank you, thank you for the comments, kudos and the bookmarks. It makes my day truly. 
> 
> So here is chapter 10, I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 10 

Daniel woke for the first times in months on his own without screaming because of nightmares and with a clear head. 

Stretching he thought back to his sleep. He remembered parts of his dreams that were not the most pleasant but compared to others nights they did not even hold a candle. 

Looking to the clock to see the time he saw the journal sitting there. Pulling it closer he took the pen and frowned, but so far everything that Dylan had offered had worked so he may as well try this also. He slowly wrote down what he could remember of his dreams. Thinking about what could be better he clicked the pen, jumping at the spark it gave. Of course flash paper. 

Grinning he finished thinking about what could be better the next time he dreamed. Once he had it in his mind he ripped the paper he had written on. Throwing it into the air as it flashed into flames. 

Watching it wink out of sight he oddly felt a little lighter. Rolling his eyes at his silly thoughts, he got up and got ready for the day. 

Walking into the hallway he could smell something good. Following his nose he walked into the room they had supper the day before and found Dylan sitting at the table reading a newspaper. 

"Morning Danny, sleep well?" Dylan asked setting down his newspaper. 

Daniel smiled sitting down beside him. 

"For the first time in months I slept longer then 4 hours and woke up without screaming. I would say I slept well. Thank you" he said. 

Dylan gave him a soft smile. "Your welcome Danny. I am happy that it helped" 

Daniel gave him a soft grin before remembering why he had panicked last night. 

"Why didn't you stay? You could have? I wouldn't have been able to stop you" he asked softly. 

Dylan smiled holding out his hand. Daniel wrinkled his forehead but placed his hand into Dylan's. 

Dylan smiled softly "that's why" he said. 

Danny frowned "I don't get it. What do you mean 'that's why'"

"You trusted me to help you. I am not going to abuse that trust Daniel. I will only ever take what you offer and you were not offering anything other then your trust in me to help you last night and I am fine with that." Dylan said softly looking Daniel in the eye. 

"But I did not say no either" Daniel said trying to make sense of it. Others have taken the opportunity. Jared would have taken it. Jared had taken it, that's why he worked so hard to stay in control all the time. 

"Just because you didn't say no doesn't mean it's a yes. I will only ever take what you want to give me Danny nothing more" Dylan said. 

Daniel flushed moving to give Dylan a soft kiss before pulling back. 

"Your so much more then I could ask for. " Daniel said happily feeling a tear run down his face. "Jared he" Daniel trailed off looking away feeling frustrated with himself. 

"It's okay you don't have to tell me" Dylan said squeezing Daniel hand. 

"No, I want to. I need to" Daniel said turning to look at Dylan. "One day a couple of months ago, I wasn't feeling good. It was before a lot of the abuse started, or maybe it was when he got a real taste for it, who knows. Anyways he gave me some cold medicine and I don't know. It wasn't normal medicine. It made everything foggy. He told me to go to bed, that I would feel better in the morning." He let out a huff of air looking away. 

"Instead I woke up feeling sore and really confused. I could hardly walk. When I asked him what had happened he said" Daniel shook his head, looking back at Dylan. "He told me that, 'I didn't say no'" he said shakily. "It was the first time I realized that I was not so in control as I thought I was." 

"Danny I" Dylan started but Daniel shook his head.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted pity or sadness Dylan. I told you to show you how much last night meant to me. How much your honesty and integrity means to me" Daniel said. 

"Thank you" Dylan said pulling Daniel hand to his lips giving it a light kiss

Daniel blushed looking down. Maybe he could open up a little? 

"Hey, so what's for breakfast? Oh wow you are red Danny" Lula said coming into the room causing them both to jump. "Are you you two okay?" 

"Fine, thank you Lula" Daniel said moving to grab some food leaving his other hand intertwined with Dylan's. 

"Are you sure? Because I've never seen that color on you" Lula said sitting close and poking Daniel face. 

"Leave it alone Lula" Daniel said pulling away. 

"Aw is Buffy feeling okay" Merritt said coming into the room. 

"I'm feeling fine, where is Jack?" Daniel said glaring at Lula and her finger. 

"He's coming, so I take it we are doing some running around today boss man?" Merritt asked. 

"Yep, lots of things to be done today so eat up" Dylan said giving Daniel a quick smile. 

Daniel gave the grin back before taking a bite of his toast. 

Jack came in a couple of minutes later. Stumbling to where the coffee sat. 

"Are you okay?" Lula asked. 

"Fine just tired. Stayed up longer then I thought going over some maps." Jack replied after taking a long sip. "Do you know how many back alleys and roads London has?" 

"No but I take it you have them all memorized?" Merritt asked around a piece of toast and eggs. 

"Almost but there are so many, but I think I got a route that will let me get from where I will be holding my act to where Merritt will be meeting his brother within minutes. I'm going to test it out once we get there to make sure it's still free."

"Great, now we just have to finish getting the rest of the equipment and the fake plane set up, a few practice runs and we will be good to go" Dylan said. 

Lula gave a sigh of relief "I can't wait for this to be done. Walter and his dear old father will not know what hit them."

"We haven't won yet. Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet" Daniel replied filling his plate up a bit more finding himself hungry. 

"Right, these two can be dangerous if they feel cornered at any time. We need to be on our guard the whole time. We can't let them get away." Dylan replied. 

Soon they were done eating. The three horsemen got ready to go run around outside while Dylan went to talk to Li about some more equipment that they needed. 

Daniel had wanted to go with him but Dylan gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and told him to check in with Mark. 

Daniel loved that Dylan was not being too reserved in his affection. He didn't push nor did he treat him like he was fragile. Dylan was still treating him like they were in a normal relationship even after learning about Jared. It was nice Daniel mused as he walked down the hallway. 

Stepping into the medical room he found the doctor looking at something in the microscope. 

"Hey, I'm here. So let's get this over with" Daniel said moving to sit down. 

"Ah Daniel just the man I wanted to see. How was your sleep?" Mark said spinning around to see him. 

Daniel could not stop the soft grin from coming to his lips. "It was good" 

"Oh?" Mark asked 

"Dylan showed me some exercises so I can sleep better." Daniel replied. 

"I see, well that is good. If they are helping you sleep better then I can't disapprove them. Now did you eat anything?" 

Daniel sighed "yes I did. I was even feeling hungry this morning. I'm not stupid, I know I should eat." 

"I know your not stupid. But different people act differently when dealing with abuse. I don't want you to develop a eating disorder because of whatever your abuser told you" Mark replied. 

Daniel flinched at Mark's statement. "Look let me get the whole conversation out of the way for you. He told me I was fat all the time when we were alone. He picked at my diet , or told me I didn't need to eat. Did I lose weight? Yes because that's what I needed to do to keep my team safe. Do I think he is right? Not really, I just got use to restricting my eating to appease him. Did I know it was not going to help anything? Yes I did, but out of all the types of abuse he threw at me it was the easiest to just leave alone. " Daniel said wrapping his arms around his chest. 

Mark was frowning but gave him a nod. "Okay, I'll leave off the food thing for now." 

"Great now give me the shot and let me leave." Daniel said trying not to fidget under Mark's gaze. 

Mark lent back in his chair. "I think we can go down to just a shot in the evening as long as you are not pushing yourself to hard. You seem to be healing quickly and I think the fever only was so bad because of the stress. As long as you eat, sleep and relax we can cut it down to just giving you the antibiotics in the evening." 

"Well then I guess that's good news for me. See you doc" Daniel said getting up quickly and heading to the door. 

"Thank you for telling me more about Jared. I know it was hard." Mark said just before Daniel escaped the room. 

Daniel froze with his hand on the door handle. Trying to control his breathing and rapid heart rate he turned around "just don't expect me to tell you my secrets next time" he said tightly. 

"Of course, say hello to Dylan for me" Mark said turning around. 

Daniel shook his head and left the room. 

"Bloody mentalists" he grumbled to himself once the door was shut. 

"I feel like I should take that as an insult, but then again I know you and will take that as a compliment" Merritt said from beside him. 

Daniel will forever deny the swear that left his mouth along with the jump his body gave, as he spun around. "What the hell Merritt?" He said a little louder then he had wanted, putting a hand on his chest to make sure it was still there. 

"Whoa don't you look like a scared little Buffy." Merritt said looking amused. 

"Why in the world are you trying to scare me?" Daniel said glaring at him. 

"Trying to scare you? I hate to tell you this Buffy but there was no trying. I scared you simple as that. Now the really question is how? I sadly never could scare you before. What changed?"

Daniel glared before walking away. "I was thinking about something, now what do you want?" 

"That must have been some serious thinking for you not to notice me standing out here when you slammed the door behind you. " Merritt replied quickly falling into step beside him. "So what were you thinking about? And what secrets are you keeping?" 

Daniel blinked looking at Merritt. "I asked first" 

"Wow what are we in grade two. Come on you can tell your wise and may I say handsome fellow colleague anything." Merritt said. 

Daniel snorted "yah sure. Thanks but no thanks I'm fine. Now I thought you were heading out to go do recon on some of the spots we chose, why are you here bugging me?" 

"Just checking up on a friend?" Merritt replied. 

"Really, and here I was going to say you were digging for gossip." Daniel replied heading into the library. He frowned when he noticed that Dylan was not there. What was taking him so long?

"Alright you caught me" Merritt said raising his hands. "I was just wondering about why Dylan would be entering your room last night looking ready for bed and then leaving it but smiling?"

Daniel stopped turning to look at Merritt. "I don't think what Dylan and I do alone is really of your concern" 

"Hey man, just worried for you. I saw the bruises on your wrists. I want to make sure your doing okay" Merritt replied looking down to Daniel hands before looking back up to his face. 

Daniel forced the urge to play with his sleeves away. "Well I thank you for your concern but I'm fine. In fact I'm more then fine, so how about you go do your running around and we forget about this entire conversation? Sounds good? Okay bye" Daniel said backing away to leave the room. 

"Stop" Merritt said loudly. 

Daniel had to fight the flinch at the loud tone. "Stop what?" 

Merritt started walking closer backing Daniel into a bookcase. Daniel could not stop the way his breathing started to pick up or the fact that his hands wrapped around his stomach defensively. Merritt hand all of a sudden came up causing Daniel to flinch and look away. When the hit didn't come he peeked out to see Merritt taking a step back. 

"I had to know Daniel" he said softly looking upset. 

"Know what" Daniel said voice cracking. 

"Who hurt you? Who did this to you?" Merritt asked softly. 

Daniel looked away trying to hide how upset he felt about himself. 

"Daniel who?" Merritt asked again softly. 

"No one, I don't know what your talking about" Daniel said forcing his breathing to calm. He was not in any danger, he was safe. Merritt would not purposely hurt him. 

"I'm talking about the fact that I almost put you into a panic attack by raising my voice and coming towards you. I'm talking about the fact that there was hand shaped bruises on your arms. Now I don't know about you but all that points to someone abusing you. So I ask again who hurt you?" Merritt said. 

Daniel bit his lip, running a shaky hand over his head. "It does not matter, he's not here and he can't hurt me anymore." Daniel said softly looking at Merritt through the corners of his eyes. 

Merritt looked to have almost sagged where he stood. "Oh thank goodness" he said sounding relieved. 

Daniel frowned turning to look closer at Merritt, not understanding Merritt's actions. 

"I admit I wondered if it was Dylan." Merritt explained. 

Daniel eyes widen, "Dylan no? How can you say that? Dylan has been helping me. He's not who was abusing me. How could you even think that?"

Merritt sighed moving to lean against the table. "Alright I know it was stupid. But I just had to make sure okay? You have not been acting like yourself this entire time and after you kept denying about telling Dylan in Macau it was kinda suspicious. And then when we get back with Dylan you and him keep going off together and I know there is something neither of you are telling us, so I have to make sure, you know?" 

Daniels mouth opened in shock. "Why? I mean I thought you just put up with me because you had too. Why would you care if someone was abusing me?"

"Alright I think I deserve that one. Daniel for as much as we tease each other I thought it was obvious that I care about you. You're my friend. One of the few ones I have actually. I hate that you were being hurt and I didn't see it. I hate that I didn't see you suffering because all I saw was the persona you played. And I'm sorry that I let myself be blinded to you and your pain." Merritt replied. 

Daniel blinked opening his mouth then closing it, not sure what to say to that. 

Merritt cracked a smile "so I finally got the great J. Daniel Atlas speechless not bad." He said before going back to looking serious. "But really. I am sorry. I should never have said those accusations in Macau or the snide remarks."

"Stop right there" Daniel said holding up a hand. "You were right then. I was at fault to leading Walter to us and yes I made some bad mistakes. Just because I had been abused does not just erase the problems I created. I am still in your words 'a dick' and I am alright with that. I don't want you treating me any different then before you found out. In fact I rather you just forgot everything you have found out. I'm fine, Jared does not have a hold on me anymore." 

Seeing the glee on Merritt's face made him curse at his slip. 

"So it was Jared, I'm assuming he's a ex now?" Merritt said. 

Daniel sighed. "Yes he is. But don't you dare contact him. He is not in my life anymore and I want it to stay that way. If I never have to seen the man again it will still be to soon." 

Merritt pouted "alright if you insist. But Danny everything I said. I still mean it. I am truly sorry for not seeing it sooner. I will work as hard as I can to prove to you that I am your friend. And if you ever need to talk to someone, well I'm sure I can find a good couple bottles of liquor to help the memories blur the morning after." 

Daniel could not help the smile that came to his face "I always considered you a friend Merritt, it's part of the reason why I hid it from you guys." 

Merritt grinned back before slapping his hands together "well then I feel like a hug. Come here and give me a hug" he said opening his arms. 

Daniel chuckled "screw you" 

Merritt threw his head back and laughed. "There is the Buffy I know and love. Now I should get going before Lula and Jack get lost. Heal up quick will ya, I'm getting to old to babysit those two alone." He said standing up fully to leave the room. 

"I will be out there as soon as Dylan and the doc let's me loose. Which better be tomorrow morning if we are keeping with the schedule." Daniel said following him to the door. "Hey Merritt," he said getting Merritt to turn around before leaving the room. "Don't tell Jack and Lula okay? I don't want them knowing that Jared got to me like he did."

Merritt frowned "if that is what you want but I think you should tell them. They won't think bad about you if that is what you are worried about." 

Daniel breath hitched at the thought of more people finding out about his failures. "I'll think about it okay?" He said trying to appease and finish the conversation. 

"Okay. Well I'm heading out. Give Dylan a kiss for me" Merritt said leaving the room. 

"I would but he's mine, so back off" Daniel said with a huff. 

Merritt's laughter could be heard for a bit until Dylan came into the room shutting the door behind him. 

"What's he laughing at?" Dylan asked coming closer. 

Daniel rolled his eyes, pulling him into a hug. "His smart mouth I think. Now can I kiss you?" He asked. 

"Of course, you don't need to ask" Dylan said with an amused tone. 

Daniel grinned before capturing Dylan's lips. Any frazzled nerves were soothed as he let himself get lost in the kiss. 

.............

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright how was it?
> 
> Also before I forget, there is now a translation of this fic into Tiếng Việt being done by E_Katari and which wow never thought that would happen, so special thanks to them. Here is the link - http://archiveofourown.org/works/8176789/chapters/18733828
> 
> So Merritt has an idea what is going on now. Truthfully I was not planning on the other horsemen finding out about Jared until after the last act but Merritt had different plans and sneaked his way in. Which actually works better then what I had sorta planned so yah. 
> 
> So I had only planned for this story to be ten chapters long and here we are and I'm so not ready to be done. I hope you are all okay with that? 
> 
> Next chapter is going to be coming out Thursday evening so thank you all again for taking the time to read this and I will be responding to comments tonight. 
> 
> Have a good day and see you all later :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone 
> 
> So here is chapter 11. 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and the comments. 
> 
> The cast of NYSM2 does not belong to me.

Chapter 11

They spent a couple hours going through every scenario making sure they had back up plans on their back up plans. They planned out what they would say for the video and when they would release the video because of the different time zones. It would have to be released two different times so that they could have the FBI there along with Walter and his crew. 

They needed to make sure Walter and his group were feeling rushed as soon as they got there because that is when they will start making mistakes. The FBI wasn't as high priority because Dylan knew exactly how long it would take them and what they would be doing the entire time so having them be there early wasn't concerning. The only problem was that it was shorter to get to London from Macau then it was from the states so they had to time it perfectly. 

The other three called in often, giving their location, where it would be possible to have the acts and once planned working with the Eye to make everything possible. Some of the equipment like the rain machines and fans were going to have to be done when it's dark so nobody could see them getting set. 

They decided to break for lunch, moving to sit outside for a bit. Daniel forcing himself to eat but Dylan made it easier by distracting him with tales about the different FBI agents he worked with. 

For the most part it worked but his mind kept falling back to his conversation with Mark and Merritt from earlier. Maybe Mark was right and he did have a eating disorder. 

Thinking back to the conversation and how much he told Mark about how Jared treated him made him feel a bit queasy. He hated that he revealed so much to a stranger but it was like he could not stop. What's worse was that the Eye was getting the Docs reports. He wondered if they were mad at Dylan for picking such a weak fool. 

Dylan noticing his silence asked what he was thinking about.

Daniel looked to Dylan seeing his questioning gaze. Seeing those brown eyes looking at him in concern he knew he had to say something. 

"Merritt found out about Jared. Only about the physical abuse," he said softly. "He asked about the bruises on my wrists and kept bugging me and almost sent me into a panic attack." 

Dylan nodded "Are you okay?" 

Daniel looked down "yah I had just finished my meeting with Mark so I was a bit jumpy" 

"And how did that go?" Dylan asked. 

"He asked for more information about my eating habits. Said he was worried I would get an eating disorder" Daniel replied

"And?" 

"And I don't have one. I'm fine." Daniel muttered defensively. 

"Okay" Dylan replied easily. 

Daniel frowned. How can Dylan be so easy about it? How can he be so accommodating to Daniel messed up life?

He raised his head. "Okay? Is that all your going to say? No, well you are skinny Danny. Or you don't eat enough Danny. Or you do have a problem." 

"Do you want me to say those things?" Dylan asked. 

"Yes! I mean No! I mean," Daniel sighed rubbing a hand over his face. "I don't know. It's just," he trailed off. 'How can you be so understanding' he finished in his head. 

Silence hung over the court as Daniel tried to figure out what to say. The good mood he had waking up was long gone. His head felt like there was a million things running around. The cruel taunts of Jared telling him how fucked up he was and how could Dylan want anything to do with him. Mark's voice saying that he wan concerned that he had an eating disorder. Merritt telling him how concerned he was about him but how that made no sense. Dylan looking at him with such understanding which made no sense. 

He was use to looking out for himself, of pushing away the taunts and jabs people threw at him. How they called him arrogant, egotistic, an asshole and so many other things. He took it because it was better then weak, stupid, unneeded. But now they were treating him like he is weak. All because of them finding out about Jared but no one said it out loud. They just treated him different. Merritt never told him sorry before and Dylan was never this patient with him. 

Then he had his own brain sending him mixed signals about how he should act or what he should do and more annoying was that his emotions can't seem to find a base line as they kept jumping around going from feeling safe to defensive to crying to laughing. It was too much.

His stomach must have decided it was done because the next thing he knew was that he was running across the courtyard to the nearest bathroom to throw up. 

He barely made it. Which was a little bit relieving, as he didn't make himself look like a complete idiot in front of Dylan. 

Resting his head on his arm after he finished throwing up all the food he forced himself to eat. He held back the whimper as his stomach heaved again. Now he remembered why he didn't eat much. It sucked having to throw it all back up. 

He was too busy heaving to hear Dylan come into the room. But he jumped when Dylan put his hand on his back. 

"It's okay, just breath." Dylan said keeling down beside him rubbing his hand up and down his back. 

Daniel wanted the ground to swallow him up at the fact that Dylan was getting a front row seat to see his weakness, but his stomach was to busy revolting on him consider the idea to much. 

When he finally got it under control he curled up trying to hide his face so he didn't see Dylan's upset one. 

He could still feel Dylan rubbing his back and it made him want to cry. He must look so weak. 

"Danny can you look at me?" Dylan said softly. 

Daniel wanted to shake his head but instead he turned around slowly keeping his head tucked to his chest and his eyes closed. 

"Danny can you tell me what's going on in that head of your" Dylan asked. 

"I must look so pathetic" Daniel said whispered roughly. 

"Danny no" Dylan started. 

"I must." Daniel interrupted. "Otherwise why are you all being so nice. The doctor? I was a being a right prick and he thanks me for it? Then we have Merritt who has never told me he was sorry before. It was always smart quips and careful silence when he found out he was in the wrong. Now he's saying sorry for everything? And you were never this patient with me. We have not argued over anything. We talk about the plan and every time we disagree instead of arguing you just concede to my idea even when I know yours are better. You have stayed right by my side being so calm and patient through all my ups and downs when everyone I've known would have ran for the hills already. I just don't get it" Daniel said feeling a tear run down his face. 

He moved to wipe it away when Dylan stopped him and gently used his thumb. Daniel opened his eyes in shock looking at Dylan's. 

"I guess we have been treating you differently" Dylan said taking Daniel face in his hands. 

"We saw a side of you that you never show anyone and we realized that there was so much more to you then we thought. We realized that if we didn't change how we treated you, we could lose you forever." Dylan said his eyes not leaning Daniels. 

"I just didn't see that it would make you feel like this. I realize that I have conceded to a lot of your ideas over the last bit but it's not because I think your too weak to argue with me. It's because I want you to feel confident that we will always be by your side. That we are not running away from you. Your ideas are good, just different and it's okay to take a different approach." Dylan said before giving Daniel a small grin. "I also will admit that I would love to shove it in Walters and his father face that even though they thought they got the better of you does not mean you can not get them back just as good. You are so smart and amazing that I want to show it off. Not only to them but to the Eye and to the world. " 

Daniel did not feel the tears as he tried to look away. "You must think I'm an idiot for even crying over this." He said softly. 

Dylan sighed "no but I do think that with everything that happened in the last few days you are feeling unbalanced. You have been living in survival stress mode for so long that now you are safe your body and brain does not know what to feel or think. Stress does odd things and it can mess up many chemical reactions that take place in the body. It's just trying to find a new normal." 

He moved to grab some tissues before handing them to Daniel. "This is normal for someone to go through after what you have gone through. You spent the last while working so hard to show the world a mask of being fine that now that you are your body and brain don't know what to show. On one hand you think you should be happy and feeling light as a feather but on the other your body is starting to process what you have gone through. It's completely normal Danny." 

Daniel bunched up the tissues "when will it stop?" 

"I don't know, but it will. You just have to be patient with yourself." Dylan replied. 

Daniel snorted, "I don't always have the best track record of that." 

Dylan grinned, "I know, but that's why you have the rest of the team and me. We can be your buffers for a bit until you get back on your feet."

"Why? I kinda get your reason, but to Lula, Jack and Merritt. I have not been the best teammate." Daniel said. 

"Because you protected them and they know it. You're their friend, they won't turn their back when you need help." Dylan replied softly. 

"Even if I don't tell them everything?" Daniel asked. 

"What you do or do not tell them will not change it in the long run. But it might help them to know what is safe and not safe to do around you." 

"I can handle it though" Daniel said softly. 

"I know you can, but I think you should weight the pros and cons of keeping all of it a secret. Think back to when you said Merritt almost gave you a panic attack. Or when any of them have done something that has put you on edge because of a word or movement. You shouldn't have to force yourself through the stress because of movements or words that could be avoided. " Dylan replied moving to hold his hand. 

"They will think I'm weak though" Daniel replied letting his fingers interlock with Dylan's. 

"It's not weak for taking care of your own mental health Danny. They won't baby you, they will likely just be carful about some of the things they say or do until you let them know it's alright." Dylan replied. 

Daniel looked away deep in thought. "Can it wait until after tomorrow? I don't think I'm ready for them all knowing while we have Walter to deal with."

"Of course, now what do you say about getting off this floor." Dylan said moving to get up. 

Daniel nodded moving to get up. "I'm just going to go brush my teeth, I'll meet you in the library?" 

"Sure and Danny do you want any thing to eat?" Dylan asked. 

"I'm fine," Daniel replied with a smile. 

Dylan gave a squeeze back, "you are very fine" 

Daniel could not help the choked out laugh, looking at Dylan he could see the man smiling. 

"That was horrible" Daniel replied. 

"Yah it was" Dylan said with a grin.

Daniel shook his head before moving to hug him. "You're perfect" he said. 

"So are you" Dylan replied. 

.-.-.-

They worked for the rest of the evening only taking a break when Dylan said he was craving ice cream. Daniel rolled his eyes at the obviousness but had some anyways. It soothed the lingering soreness. 

They called back the other three before supper so they could practice their tricks in one of the spare rooms until it was time to head to bed. Li promised that everything would be set up by morning so no one would be able to tell what was going on until the act started.

Dylan headed down with Daniel to the medical room to get his shot. This time the doctor did not go asking any in-depth questions. He just asked how Daniel was feeling and if he had any signs of fever before he wished them a good night and that he will see them before the act tomorrow. 

Daniel was relieved that he didn't ask for much more. Since lunch he could feel his nerves trying to hold it together. He was not going to break down again, he was done with that. Dylan walked him to his room and before he could leave Daniel pulled him into a kiss. 

"What was that for?" Dylan asked amused. 

"Nothing, everything" he said softly moving to hug Dylan. 

"Well if that's what I get then I'll be sure to do it again." Dylan replied moving wrap an arm around Daniel waist holding him close while his other hand move to the back of Daniel neck rubbing the short hair there. 

Daniel could not stop the groan of pleasure as he leaned further into Dylan. 

\----......

Dylan could not stop the smile that came across his face at hearing Danny's groan. The man was holding himself so tense since he came into the library after going to brush his teeth. Dylan knew the man was going to put a mask on when he let him go earlier. Daniel was not a person to wear his heart on his sleeve, so to go this long without it was amazing. He needed a bit of privacy to regroup so the quick split was perfect. 

He let it go knowing that many of the issues that were plaguing his showman were going to have to be his own internal battles with himself. All he could do was offer support and be there for him. Let Daniel figure out how to be himself again. And if that meant standing in the hallway for undetermined amount of time holding him. Well it was not a hardship. 

He could feel Daniel relax into his shoulder as he rubbed his neck working on getting rid of the tension he could feel. 

"Your really good at that" Daniel mumbled into Dylan's shoulder. 

"I'm glad you like it." Dylan replied moving to kiss his temple. 

"I feel like I could sleep right here" Daniel said. 

Dylan chuckled "I don't think your body would like that very much. Go on to bed Danny, practice the meditation I showed you and get some rest. You will feel a bit better tomorrow." 

Daniel leaned back "what if I don't?" 

"You will, go on." Dylan replied. Giving a kiss to Daniel forehead. 

"What if I want you to sleep with me" Daniel asked. 

Dylan's face must have shown shock because Daniel quickly went red shaking his head. "I mean to sleep, only sleep, unless you want to do more" 

Dylan smiled giving him a chuckle "as much as I want to sleep with you, I don't know how good of an idea that would be. I don't want you to feel pressured." 

Daniel went even more red looking down, "I'm not, I just, I want to be held, I don't want to be alone right now. " 

"So this would be to just sleep right?" Dylan asked. 

Daniel shrugged, "Unless you want more"

"Daniel I need you to really think about what you want. Don't think about what I may or may not want. What do you want?" 

"To just sleep in your arms" Daniel mumbled. 

Dylan nodded "Alright, why don't you go get ready for bed. I need to finish some things and get some clothes from my room. I'll be back in about twenty minutes okay?" 

Danny gave Dylan a nod and a shy smile before heading into his room. 

Dylan sighed once the door was shut. Danny was going to kill him at this rate. Remembering what he had planned on doing this evening. He headed to Merritt's door down the hallway giving a quiet knock. 

Merritt opened the door still in his day clothes. He didn't even look ready for bed. 

"Can I talk to you for a bit?" Dylan asked. 

Merritt frowned but open the door wider letting him in. 

"Thanks" Dylan said stepping inside. He noticed a peculiar book on the bed. Set open butterfly style. It was a book about dealing with abuse. 

"So what do I owe the pleasure Dylan?" Merritt asked. 

"Daniel told me that you know?" He asked. "About Jared?" 

Merritt sighed sitting down on the bed with a slump. "Yah he told me. It took me almost putting him into a panic attack to get him to talk about it." 

"Yah, I rather you don't do that again. He was feeling off all day after this morning." Dylan said leaning against the desk. 

"Yah I could tell, I didn't mean too push it that far but I guess I'm still use to shaking down idiots on the street and let my brain get ahead of my heart. Is he alright?"

"He will be, just don't treat him different now that you know. He's worried about that" Dylan said. 

"Yah I kinda figured that out" he said looking down to the book. "So is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" Merritt asked. 

"Partially, mainly I wanted to let you know something but I can't have you tell Daniel okay?" Dylan said. 

Merritt frowned "Alright?"

"Li is tracking down Jared. I can't let that man go for hurting Danny like he did. So Li has a couple agents of the Eye looking for him. Once he is found they are going to keep a very close eye on the man until we have everything settled here. I figured you would want to know." Dylan said. 

Merritt blinked before a evil grin came to his face "I see, are you going to tell the others?" 

Dylan shrugged, "Right now your the only one who knows who hurt him besides me and Li of course. Daniel has mentioned telling the other after but right now he just wants to get tomorrow done." 

Merritt hummed, "I see, will Daniel want any part of this?"

"I'm not sure. He told me he wants to forget everything to do with Jared and not even think about the man, but it might change after everything settles down. I wanted to let you know that something is planned before you get an idea to go searching out the man on your own while I already have people doing that very thing." Dylan replied. 

"I see, well thank you for that. I take it from your face Jared will not be walking away from us without some serious damage?" Merritt asked. 

"You take it well." Dylan said moving to stand up. "Now I got a showman to cuddle. I will see you tomorrow and remember the rest can't find out until Danny has told them. Jared really played on Danny's trust so I don't want to hurt him anymore by letting them know before he gets a chance to talk to them himself." 

"Oh believe me, the last thing I want to do is hurt Daniel anymore then I already have. On that note, if you hurt him" Merritt trailed off looking menacing. 

"Don't worry, you will have to fish me out of the ocean if I hurt him. I could not live with myself but I'm glad your here to watch his back too. He's going to need all of his team backing him to heal." Dylan said with a smile. 

"He needs you too man, now go cuddle him and get him to sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow and we need both of you on your game." Merritt said getting off the bed. 

Dylan rolled his eyes "good night Merritt, sweet dream" 

"After what you told me, believe me they will be the sweetest" Merritt said with a sharp grin. 

Dylan chuckled before leaving the room. Heading into his he quickly checked the time to see he had a couple of minutes to get ready. 

He quickly showered before pulling on a clean white tee and a pair of black sweats before grabbing clothes for tomorrow. 

Walking back to Danny's room he worked on his breathing doing a short form of the ritual he showed Danny yesterday. 

Knocking on the door he heard Danny call for him to enter. Danny was sitting on the bed playing with the stone as he looked worried at Dylan. 

"It does not seem to be helping" He said when Dylan shut the door behind him. 

Dylan gave him a smile moving to place his clothes on a chair before moving to sit on the bed. 

"We will do it together okay?" Dylan said. 

Daniel nodded. Dylan moved to turn off the lights before moving to sit under the covers. 

He walked them both through the steps and smiled when Danny allowed himself to relax. Laying down he wondered what Daniel was wanting. He watched as Danny fidget from where he was laying. He opened his arms in the universal come here sign. Daniel flushed red but quickly curled up in his arms giving a soft him of content. 

Dylan grinned, "good night love" he said softly thinking Danny was already asleep from how relaxed the man felt. 

"Love you" Daniel said in a soft release of air. 

Dylan looked down but saw that the man looked to be out like a light. He grinned softly kissing the top of Danny head "I love you too" he said before letting himself fall asleep. 

 

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? 
> 
> Thank you all again for the kudos and comments they make me so happy to see that I'm almost at 100 kudos. It makes me so excited. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out sometime Saturday depending how long it will take me to write and do a couple of edits on it. Again if any of you notice wrong spelling or odd Grammer let me know. 
> 
> I will be answering comments tomorrow morning. 
> 
> Thank you again everyone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. 
> 
> So I was planning on getting this chapter out a lot earlier but parts of it kept bothering me so I kept going over them until it flowed a bit better. It's shorter then the last few ones have been but it seemed like a good spot to call it dont . 
> 
> I hope you all like it. 
> 
> None of the NYSM cast is mine.

Chapter 12

 

Daniel woke to feeling warm and surrounded. Opening his eyes a crack he could see the white shirt that Dylan was wearing when they had gone to bed pretty much right in front of his nose. He grinned softly to himself feeling one of Dylan's arm holding gently to his back keeping him close. They were both laying on their sides, Daniel on his right while Dylan was on his left. He could feel that their legs were tangled together. His own upper arm was tucked between their chests while his lower one was under his head supporting it. The best thing was he was not feeling caged in like he feared he would but protected. 

He could still lightly smell Dylan coconut shampoo, Dylan had used last night along with a scent that he was rapidly identifying as Dylan and safety. 

He could hear Dylan's soft even breathing in the quiet room and feel his slow, strong heartbeat under his fingers. He clenched his hand lightly into Dylan shirt feeling the softness of the shirt and Dylan's firm chest underneath. He just wanted to stay like this for awhile, feeling content and happy. 

Just as he was drifting back off he felt a change in Dylan. He could feel Dylan become conscious from feeling the faster heartbeat to the hand wrapped around him tightening before loosening. He looked up from where his head was ducked to see Dylan looking at him with soft sleepy eyes. 

"Morning" he said softly. 

"Morning" Daniel replied just as soft. 

"Did you sleep alright?" Dylan asked his hand lightly tracing circles on Daniel back. 

Daniel gave him a smirk "I think you know how well I slept"

Daniel had the most restful sleep he could ever remember. He was sure he didn't even move much from when he had fallen asleep to now. There was not a nightmare to wake him. 

Dylan chuckled "I guess I do." 

Silence stretched between the two of them but it was not uncomfortable. Daniel took the opportunity to tuck his head back down and push his face into Dylan's chest while his arm moved to wrap around Dylan holding him close. He just wanted a few more minutes of this before he had to face the others. 

Dylan seemed in no rush to get out of bed as he held Daniel just as tight moving to roll on to his back bringing Daniel to rest more on top of him. His other arm now free to wrap around Daniel also. 

Daniel let out a grunt at the sudden movement before looking back to Dylan's face. "Can you even breath like this?" 

Daniel could feel the rumble of laughter more then hear it from underneath him. 

"I'll be fine, are you okay with this?" Dylan asked. 

Daniel thought about the new placement. He was now on top and had the ability to get away whenever. He was okay with this. He nodded as he let his head rest on Dylan chest listening to his heartbeat. 

Daniel knew he should get up and moving but he really didn't want to move. Dylan was gently rubbing his back in an up and down motion causing Daniel eyes to close it was still kinda dark out. A few more hours will not hurt. 

It was not until a knock happened that Daniel stiffened up, eyes shooting open. Forcing his breathing to mellow he looked to Dylan who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He clearly felt the flinch. 

"I'm fine, just startled me" Daniel replied moving to sit up and off of him setting his feet on the floor. "Who is it?" He asked looking at the door. 

The door opened to reveal Merritt looking at the two with a amusement. 

"Come on you love birds, time to get up and face the day. We have a show to prepare for and a video to make. " he said. 

"Alright thank you Merritt, we will be out as soon as possible." Dylan said. 

Merritt gave them both a huge grin "If not I'll be sure to bring the hose" he said before shutting the door. 

Daniel looked to Dylan "I have never seen him that awake or that giddy unless there was a large amount of caffeine involved. Should we be worried?" 

Dylan pushing himself into a standing position by Daniel to stretch, replied "I don't think so. He might just be excited about getting rid of Tressler and his bastard child." 

Daniel let his gaze linger a little longer then he was planning on, seeing the strip of skin that was showed by the stretch. He knew in his head that Dylan was tone but seeing that he was with his own eyes? He had to look away so not to embarrass himself. Already he could feel his face heat up and certain parts of him awaken.

"Like what you see?" Dylan said amused from where he was standing. 

Daniel rolled his eyes, trying to will the blush and other problems away before looking back to Dylan. "Why looking for some ego boosting?" He replied lightly raising an eyebrow. 

Dylan moved in closer until he was standing right in front of him. Daniel face coming to his chest causing him to crane his neck a bit to see Dylan's face. The room suddenly felt a lot hotter. Daniel had to lick his lips for how dry they all of a sudden felt. Dylan's gaze on him felt like he was going to be set on fire. He slowly bent down causing Daniel to lean up thinking that he was going to get a kiss. 

Just before their lips touched Dylan spoke. 

"Your cute" Dylan said before backing away chuckling.

Daniel gaped at the man as he went about gathering his clothes to wear and headed to the washroom. Once the door was shut Daniel allowed himself to fall into his back with a groan. Who knew Dylan could be such a bloody tease? Well two can play at that game. 

Shaking his head he pushed himself back up and off the bed going to his closet to find something suitable to wear. As soon as he had a outfit picked out he quickly got changed before waiting by the door to the washroom. 

As soon as the door opened he slipped his arms around Dylan's neck spinning him around so he was between Dylan and the bathroom. 

"don't tease unless your ready for the consequences." He whispered into his ear before giving Dylan's neck a quick nip before turning around to escape into the washroom and shutting the door. He could not stop the laugh from bubbling up. The look on Dylan's face was definitely worth it. 

\-------...... 

Dylan let out a breath, his head falling on the closed bathroom door. Of course Daniel would take him up on the challenge. Daniel was a showman, he knew how to flirt and charm a crowd. Dylan was not a fool to forget that, he was just not expecting Daniel to be so quick to jump on that wagon. It pushed almost all of his control not to open that door and ravage the mans mouth. Everything from the tone of Daniel voice, to the assertiveness made Dylan just want to take him to bed and not get out for hours.

He shook his head. Not the time to be getting those thoughts. He was sure Daniel was not ready for all that just yet. He had to be patient and let Daniel lead this strange new dance they have entered. Does not mean he is going to make it easy for him though. Dylan grinned thinking back to when he caught Daniel staring. Daniel was clearly as affected by him as he was of Daniel. He wonder how far Daniel was going to take it. 

He pushed himself away from the door before leaving the room. If he stay for much longer he might do something he will regret. 

Stepping into the dining room he saw that the other three horsemen were there along with Li. Jack was the only one though that seemed to be sleeping by his food rather then eating it. 

"Dylan, good morning." Li said with a smile bringing the rooms attention to him. 

"Morning Li, everyone. Is everyone ready for tonight?" Dylan said sitting down. 

Jack gave a grunt of approval while Merritt gave a short yes. 

"Yep, but where is Daniel?" Lula asked. She had a glint in her eyes that was slightly concerning. 

"He will be here in a few minutes I'm sure." Dylan replied. 

"So how was your night?" Merritt asked with a grin bringing Dylan's gaze to him. 

"Fine?" Dylan question. 

"Just fine? Has Buffy lost his touch?" Lula teased. 

Dylan sighed so that is what those two were up to. "That is not really your guys business. What Danny and I do behind closed doors is not to be passed around for gossip." 

"Aw but Dylan" Lula said. 

"No Lula, leave this alone." Dylan replied firmly. 

"Fine, your no fun" she replied slumping into his seat. 

"And Merritt" Dylan said turning to look at the mentalist. "Stop encouraging her." 

"I was just telling my wonderful teammates here how nice it is that you both have someone to cuddle with." Merritt replied with a grin. 

"Yah I'm sure you were, now Li how did the set up go last night" he said putting a firm end to the conversation. 

Li chuckled "it went well, everything is ready for tonight's show." 

"Good" Dylan replied. 

"Morning everyone" Daniel said coming into the room. He stopped right behind Dylan putting his hands on Dylan's shoulders. He didn't jump but he was sure Daniel was up to something. 

The rest replied with mornings. Jack finally raised his head from his arms to look at them. He had an odd look on his face as he watched them. It bothered Dylan, Jack said he was happy for them so what was going on with him. 

Dylan was cut off contemplating it when he felt Daniel hands start to kneed his shoulders and neck while he mentioned an idea for the video they were going to work on right after breakfast. 

Dylan had to suppress the moan that wanted to come out hoping Danny will only keep it up for a little bit. But it seemed like Danny knew exactly what it was doing if the smug tone in his voice meant anything as he continued to talk punctuating different words with his kneading. 

"Sounds like a great idea Buffy now if you want to stop turning our boss into limp noodle how about you sit down and eat" Merritt said. 

Danny gave a soft hum his hands leaving Dylan's shoulders after one last squeeze before taking a seat beside him. 

Dylan gave a quiet sigh of relief, looking over to the man. Daniel seemed to be quite happy this morning. Granted he was feeling pretty good too and wondered if it had anything to do with sleeping by each other. He never had a morning waking up feeling as relaxed like he did today. 

Daniel turned to look at him and gave him a quick wink before turning back to talking with Jack. The man was definitely feeling playful, he just hoped he could survive today. 

\------......

Daniel grinned to himself after giving Dylan a wink causing the man to blush. He forgot how much fun it was to flirt and charm someone. Jared hated him feeling playful. Right from the start he told Daniel that it was childish and that he was an idiot whenever Daniel had tried something like this with him. Daniel did not even realize that Jared had took this from him until now. 

He went back to talking with Jack. He was trying to figure out what was up with the younger man. Jack was normally bubbly and active in the morning but for the last two days he has been the complete opposite. Yesterday he said he had stayed up going over the maps but there was no excuse for today. He wondered what was going on through Jacks mind. If Jack was still acting off tomorrow morning he is going to ask what's up. 

Soon they were finished breakfast and headed to the room they planned on doing the video. It took a couple of takes to get it right. They all were trying not to look to happy but it was hard when they knew they had the upper hand. 

Once done, Li took off with the camera to get it posted online so they can draw in the people they needed. It was one more step closer to where they need to be. The other three moved to watch wanting to see the Internet blow up with their fame while Daniel and Dylan stayed in the room. 

Daniel who was still sitting on the couch once the rest were gone got up and moved over to where Dylan was standing going over the plans. 

"You know there is going to be some manhandling by Walter and Art's men" Dylan said softly. 

Daniel could feel a shiver go up his spine and not the good kind. He knew that it was a solid possibility that it was going to happen. He had been thinking about it since they mentioned being thrown out the plane for show. They were going to have to act like they were really going to be killed and fight it. He was going to be fighting not just the men but memories as well. 

"Yah I know, I can handle it" Daniel replied forcing himself to sound more sure of himself then he felt. 

Dylan looked at him before giving him a quick nod "I know you can." 

Daniel gave him a quick smile looking back down at the plans. His mind going back to all the times he tried to fight of Jared. These people just did not have the trump card like Jared had. He can do this. It's all in the plans. 

"You know, I never got a kiss this morning. I am kinda upset about it. I mean I wake up with this really hot man and I was really planning on kissing him but instead we got interrupted by your teammate" Dylan said pulling Daniel mind back to the present. 

Daniel knew what the other was trying to do. Distracting him of the problem it made him feel warm but he was not willing to let Dylan know that just yet. 

He raised an eyebrow, "were you now? Well I'll just have to change that" he said before leaning over as if to kiss Dylan on the lips before quickly moving to lightly kiss Dylan on the cheek before pulling away. "There now you got a morning kiss." He said amused at Dylan's pouting face. 

He moved to escape when Dylan grabbed his hand in a gentle hold. Daniel went back willingly to stand in his arms. 

"You are a tease" Dylan replied moving to wrap his arms around him. 

"Takes one to know one" Daniel replied before leaning over and giving Dylan the kiss they both wanted. 

Dylan chuckled into his mouth before pulling Daniel into a deeper kiss. 

Daniel felt the feeling of heat run through him as he gripped the back of Dylan's shirt holding him close. He let out a soft moan when Dylan's tongue did a wicked movement against his feeling his legs go a bit weak. 

He had to pull back because it was too much and rested his head against Dylan's panting hard. 

"You alright?" Dylan asked between his panting breaths his hands moving up and down Daniel back helping him calm down. 

Daniel rubbed his fingers in smaller circles in the small of Dylan's back 

"Yah, that was just, wow" Daniel replied giving Dylan a smile. 

"Same here" Dylan replied. 

"Why didn't we do that this earlier?" Daniel asked. 

"I don't know, but I really didn't mind the cuddling we had instead." Dylan replied kissing him lightly. 

Daniel pulled back "you are going to need to teach me that move you did." 

"I don't know, it's rather tricky. It will take a lot of time to practice it" Dylan teased pulling back. 

"Well I think we have a bit of time to work on it right now." Daniel said moving back in until a cough startled both of them. 

Looking to the door they saw Jack standing there looking uncomfortable staring at the ground. "Sorry, it's just Li wanted to talk to Dylan about the FBI involvement." 

Dylan nodded giving Daniel a light kiss before leaving the room. Jack moved away from the door but stayed in the room. 

Daniel frowned something was definitely up with Jack. "Jack are you alright with Dylan and I?" 

Jack looked up startled "Oh yah, of course you two go good together, really happy for you." 

Daniel frowned coming closer. "Then what's up? You are not acting like yourself." 

"Nothing Danny" Jack replied turning around to leave. 

"Jack?" Daniel asked, in for a penny and all that. "What's keeping you up at night?" 

Jack stopped "nothing" he replied softly, before heading out. 

Daniel frowned now he knew something was up with his fellow horsemen. He went out to follow, but it seemed Jack had taken off. He sighed, when that man wanted to disappear for a bit it was just best to leave him on his own for a bit. Rubbing a hand over his face he decided to go find Dylan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thank you to everyone I have hit 100 kudos. I didn't really expect it to get that far (or for me to write 40k words but that is another story ;p )
> 
> It was really wonderful to see that. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out Tuesday morning as I am going to finish that last act so we can really move into dealing with Jared and maybe see what is going on with Jack. 
> 
> See you all then and Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadian readers.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is later then I planned. I just needed to get done with the last act and I'm sorry if it feels a bit rushed because of it. 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments they really make my day. 
> 
> None of the cast of the NYSM universe is mine.

Chapter 13. 

He found Dylan walking through the hallways back to the library. 

"Hey" Daniel said coming up beside the man.

Dylan gave him a soft smile. "Hey" 

"So did Li get whatever he needed?" Daniel asked. 

"Yah, he was just wondering how easy it would be to place a few members of the Eye into the FBI. Now that I'm gone they lost their eyes into it. After this act we will have no way of knowing what they are doing." Dylan replied taking Daniel hand in his. 

"Does the Eye have members in everything?" 

"Yes and no, they just like to keep an eye on different concerns." Dylan replied. "Knowing what's going on in the FBI has been helpful to them."

"Huh, so did you join the FBI because they asked you to or did you do that on your own?" Daniel asked honestly curious. They never talked about how he got involved with the eye and now he had the chance to ask. 

"It was my task to get into the Eye. I had to fool the very people that made it their business to know everything and even more so everything about their own people. I had to show an illusion of being someone so different that they would never suspected that I was behind my own act. I had to show the Eye that my dedication to the task would be worth it to have the resources to pull off the act." Dylan replied. 

"Compared to yours our act to get into the Eye was easy" Daniel replied looking down. 

Dylan stopped and turned to look at Daniel "Not really. Everyone has different skills and weaknesses. My weakness was patience, I had to show that I could play the long game. Your is teamwork. You had to show that you can work in a team and let others in. I would not call your easy what so ever." 

Daniel scoffed "I'm still a control freak and look at this last mess. Lots of teamwork there" 

"Teamwork does not mean telling everyone your life story or letting them have control over you. It's about seeing each other as equal. Remember before you become a horsemen? You chased off your assistants regularly. You made sure no one stuck around for long. When you realized how close you were getting to Henley you made sure to chase her off even though it's what you wanted. You told yourself you didn't need anyone. Over the year it took for you to plan you let them in enough that you could rely on them. You saw them as equals and not as people you can control. If you didn't feel like they were teammates, you would never had put your own life on the line for them. If anything I had the easy time getting into the Eye" Dylan said. 

Daniel shrugged "I guess but ours was no thirty year long plan." 

"In those thirty years the plan has changed many times. What I imagined as a kid to when I was finally in the FBI is vastly different. The only element that stayed the same was finding the people who took others misfortune and turned it into personal gain. It really was not until I was in the FBI did I settle on a solid plan to go about it." Dylan replied softly. 

"Why did you chose us?" Daniel asked. 

Dylan smiled "I was not lying when I said the really magic was taking four strong acts and turning it into one. You guys were amazing in your fields then and you are even better now. I chose you because I saw what you can become." 

Daniel decided to ask the question that was bugging him for a while now. "What about Henley? Why did you let her go if she was such a strong act?" 

Dylan gave Daniels hand a squeeze. "Henley has a very strong act but looking back I saw it added a lot of tension to the whole group dynamic. She was almost to strong and I saw that her personality was harming the team more then helping it. I was worried that if I forced her to stay it would make you guys implode on yourselves. I didn't want that so I let her walk. The last thing I wanted was for you to blame yourself for it." 

Daniel nodded looking away. Daniel still blamed himself for not being able to keep Henley happy but now he knew that it was not just his fault. "She is safe right?" 

"Of course, the Eye makes sure to keep an eye on her. I would not be surprised if they ask her to come back if they ever needed her skills. She might not be a part of our team but she is family and we look out for each other." Dylan replied. 

"Do you think after all this, I would be able to talk to her?" Daniel asked. 

"I think she will come looking for us if you don't. She didn't want you guys to be hurt because of her leaving. She just needed to find a new path that she could live with." 

Daniel nodded "okay" he said looking down. 

"She won't hate you for what happened Danny" Dylan replied softly. 

"I hope so" Daniel replied looking up. 

"She won't, now do you want to go find the others?" 

Daniel shrugged "Sure" 

They started to walk again heading towards the library in silence. 

They found Merritt and Lula sitting in the room arguing. 

"He's fine leave him alone" Merritt grumbled. 

"But he looks so tired. Something must be up." Lula replied. 

"Is everything alright?" Dylan asked breaking the tension.

"Hey do you guys know what's up with Jack?" Lula asked spinning to look at them. 

Dylan and Daniel frowned. Daniel thought back to his conversation with the young man. It was one thing for him to notice Jack acting off but he thought it was just him. 

"I am telling you he is fine. He just had a rough sleep last night" Merritt grumbled. 

Daniel walked up closer "Merritt?" 

Merritt sighed looking to Daniel. Before looking to the other two. "I think he had some bad nightmares last night. Our rooms share a wall. I could hear his muttering. I was concerned so I went and checked it out. He was tossing and turning in his bed. I woke him up. He told me he was fine just bad dreams. Didn't tell me anything about it. " 

"I knew it" Daniel breathed. 

"Do you know what the nightmares are? Maybe we can help" Dylan asked. 

"He didn't tell me. But I think that if we push he's going to push back. If it's important he will tell us. This is Jack after all." Daniel replied looking over to Dylan. 

Dylan nodded "Your right. Let's get through tonight. Jack knows how to take care of himself" 

Daniel winced. He knew that Dylan did not say that against him but he was right Jack would not be in the same situation that he is in. He nodded shakily, "right, let's go over the plan one more time. Everything else can be figured out tomorrow." 

-.-.-.-.-.

Halfway through the plan Jack slipped into the room. He sat beside Lula looking worried but the rest just gave him a smile before asking him to go over his part. 

They worked on it right until supper. Dylan told the three to rest up while he and Daniel checked to make sure everything was how they planned it to be. Li and a couple others went with them to take their spots making it seem like they were everyday citizens ready to ring in the New Years and see the Horsemen. 

They walked separate so not to draw attention. Daniel mind working over what could be up with Jack and what he was going to do after everything. He had planned on running once he was able to break free of Jared. But now? 

He sighed looking up to the cloudy sky. Dylan knew about Jared, Merritt knew. The eye knew. He does not need to fear that man anymore he can be free but the memories still haunt him. They sat lurking in his mind ready to pop up when he was not expecting them. He still was not himself. He was not who Dylan and the rest remember. 

There was one time he would have hounded Jack until he found out what was bugging his young friend but now he knew why people kept their secrets.

"Penny for your thoughts Danny?" Dylan asked slowing down to walk beside him. 

"They are worth much more then a penny I can assure you" Daniel replied

"All right then, thinking some deep thoughts then." Dylan replied with a chuckle. 

Daniel took a breath in "Yah. What do you think is going to happen after everything is done here?" 

Dylan held out a hand for Daniel to take. Both of them were wearing gloves due to the slight chill but Daniel could still feel the heat of Dylan hand.

"Li told me they want to keep us on this side of the ocean. They want it to quiet down back there until it's safe for us to go back. So I think we are going to get a small vacation to relax and if they have any acts they want us to do then we will also have time to throughly plan them." Dylan said. 

"I see" Daniel said looking to their joined hand. 

"What do you want to do?" Dylan asked. 

"I don't know." Daniel replied honestly. 

Dylan squeezed Daniels causing him to look up. 

"We will figure it out together then." Dylan replied. "How about a date when we get this mess sorted? 

Daniel gave a small smile "I'd like that" 

Daniel and Dylan quickly got to where the first barge was going to be. Knowing where the cameras were made them easy to spot but they were hidden enough that people would not even notice them. 

They wondered over to where Daniel act was going to be seeing the rain machines ready to go. They were going to have them start once it got dark enough to hide that the rain was only staying in one spot. 

They walked to where Merritt was going to be found before taking Jacks route to where his act was going to be. They then headed to where the motorcycles were going to placed. The stage was set, now they just needed to play their parts and hope that they catch Tressler and Walter. 

They walked back to the safe house hand in hand neither of them wanting to let go. 

 

Once inside they met with the others. It was quiet as everyone got ready for the act. It was almost eleven thirty when they left the house again. They split up quickly not wanting to be noticed. Tucking faces into coats and lowering hats. Each had a mic to talk to one another but also phones for the FBI and Walter to track and listen in. 

Jacks act was the first to go off because they needed his to first. 

They watched as he made his way to his made up stage before Lula headed out for hers. Dylan made sure to be seen by the street cameras for Walter and the FBI to get them following their trail as Daniel stayed out.

Once Jack revealed himself to the crowd Daniel took off for his but not without a quick squeeze of Dylan's hand. 

They counted down the minutes until Lula's started. Daniel was relieved that because of how his trick needed to be done wearing a thick coat made him feel a little better being in the crowd. He could see Dylan slink around the edges of where the fake rain fell. 

He counted down the minutes before he started his. Taking a deep breath in he brought the crowds attention to him. Hearing the sounds of joy and excitement made him grin. He likes being in the center of attention as long as he is also controlling the crowd. He grinned when they all gave him looks of disbelief of him being able to control the rain. When he made it look like he did it hearing their cheers gave him a much needed adrenaline rush. This was easy. This he could forget about all his stress and just own the crowd. 

Over the mics he and the hidden members of the Eye could hear what each of his teammates were doing while they could all hear him. He could hear Jack saying his goodbyes to his crowd before rushing to where Merritt should be. Avoiding the police that were now following him. He could hear Lulas silly quips and jokes she made to hers. 

When he heard Merritt talking to his brother he knew it was time to finish his. Making a big show of it he made it look like he was falling backwards letting his coat fall off while the lights flickered in just a way that nobody saw him leave. 

He made his way through the crowd as quick as he could without being noticed. He heard the phone call Dylan and Merritt shared along with Jack hypnotizing Chase. Daniel was so glad they had practiced talking and listening to the mic at the same time because hearing all overlap in voices would have made a person go insane. Everything had to be down to the second to make it look amazing. 

He heard Dylan give the call out to get to the meeting point. Running he was happy to see that they all got away safely giving Dylan a quick look over just to be sure. They kept up their freaking out speech for anyone of their followers that had ears on them to think that their plans were ruined as they got on their bikes. 

The motorbike trick was definitely the most dangerous part of the whole act. Jack went first as he had the most experience with fighting against armed people. Then Dylan and Daniel to provide cover and distraction to help keep Jack safe. They had to make it look like they were running even though they planned on being caught. 

Daniel could not help but notice that Jack was getting good at disarming and subduing the attackers. It was kinda concerning as Daniel did not recall Jack putting that much training into it. At least not what he is seeing now. Just one more thing to ask Jack later. 

Once they were rounded up and getting dumped into the van Daniel quickly gave them each a look over to make sure none of them were hurt he could see each of them doing the same thing.

Being shoved onto the plane was not fun but Daniel kept his eyes on Dylan and the team. 

Finding out that the card was real was a surprise. He wondered how that could be since that machine was taken straight from Walters plane because there was no way to replicate it in the short amount of time they had. 

When it came time to being thrown out Daniel took a deep breath in. Time to see if he could handle this. 

There was yelling and arms and legs flying. He could hear Jared taunts in his head. He could feel himself falling into the flash back as he struggled against the people holding him. When he felt himself get thrown out he knew he was hyperventilating but he could not bring himself to stop.

\----.... 

Dylan landed on the mat with a huff quickly rolling off so not to be landed on by whoever came next. He gave a huge grin at the plane as it moved and could just faintly hear his teammates scream not to be thrown out. 

He watched as Merritt came next out of the plane. He laughed as Merritt gave the plane the finger as he rolled off to join Dylan on the side. 

"That was a rush" Merritt replied. 

"Tell me about it." Dylan replied as they watched Lula was next. 

She was almost in tears she was laughing so much. Merritt and Dylan pulled her off before she got landed on. 

"Let's do that again!" She said still laughing. 

"Later darling let's just get this over with" Merritt replied shaking his head at her. 

Next came Jack who was grumbling about chase using hit the road jack. "Like I have not heard that one before" he grumbled as he rolled off. 

That just left Daniel. Dylan stood by the edge wondering how Daniel was doing when he saw the man get kicked out of the plane. 

Daniel was shaking all over while taking gulps of air. Dylan quickly climbed back on the mat to get to him. 

"Daniel your safe, we did it." He replied trying to break the man out of the panic attack. 

Jack climbed up beside him. 

"Daniel man, it's okay. It's me Jack. Your having a panic attack. I need you to breath for me man. Snap out of it we have to finish this." He said quickly giving Daniel shoulders a shake. 

Dylan was about to ask what Jack was doing when Daniel completely froze before opening his eyes. "Dylan? Jack?" He asked grabbing at them. 

Jack gave the man a relieved smile"Yah your safe come on, we need to move. You can kiss your boyfriend after we expose Walter and Tressler." He said before jumping back off the mat. 

"You okay?" Dylan asked helping the man sit up. He could see Danny forcing himself to push whatever he was seeing away. 

"Yah, I'm fine. Now let's get these cowards" Danny said through gritted teeth. 

Dylan nodded. They climbed off the mat and quickly made their way onto the wing of the plane to get ready for the grand reveal. Merritt clapped his hand on Danny back in a show of comradeship which Danny gave him a small smile leading Dylan to believe that Danny would be fine. 

They let Jack take lead this time since he was not able to the last time they faced large crowds. When Danny introduce Dylan to the world he could not help the small grab around the waist wanting to pull the man in a hug but knowing he could not. 

Dylan revealed that almost the whole thing was being broadcasted to the world. Giving a shark grin to Walter and Tressler. There was no way they could hide again. 

They counted down the time to the new year as Dylan made his way to where Danny stood. 

\----.....

Danny had a huge smile on his face looking out to the crowd. They did it. It was done. Counting down he turned to see Dylan walking towards him. He grinned pulling Dylan into a quick kiss as everyone screamed happy new year. 

"You know the whole world will see this right?" Dylan asked after they had pulled apart. 

"Let them. I'm feeling to happy to care right now" Daniel replied. 

"Alright you love birds help me get Jack and Lula off each other I think it's time for us to go." Merritt said with a grin pulling them into a group hug. 

They laughed but did as he suggested and took off just as the FBI stepped onto the barge. 

They had a secret boat with police uniforms to pull on to escape. Dylan sent them ahead saying he had to meet with his old boss. 

Daniel was not a fan of it but he knew Dylan knew these people better then he did so he stayed with the others. Did not mean he was not relieved to see Dylan pop onto the boat pulling on the costume. 

Daniel could not help but pull the man into another kiss. They got Walter and Tressler. It was one less threat against them. Now it was time to escape and take a breather. 

He could feel Dylan smile into the kiss holding him tight. So far the new year was already better then the last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's done but don't worry we still have a few more things to wrap up before we are done with this story. 
> 
> I'm thinking that I will also be going through and doing some edits at the end also to make sure everything flows smoothly and not as choppy as I feel like it is. 
> 
> Also I am planning on doing NaNoWriMo this year and planning on doing a mutant AU NYSM. There is some really good ones in this fandom and I want to add to that. So if you guys have any ideas for it I would love to hear them. 
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and the next chapter will be out Thursday afternoon.


	14. Chapter 14.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey   
> Ah whoops I swear I thought I had wrote down Friday afternoon not Thursday so sorry. Here it is now so please don't kill me.

Chapter. 

Daniel could not help the grin as they made their getaway all of them excitedly talking about different parts. Once on land they followed Jack through the city until they were back at the safe house. 

Stepping inside they could not help but cheer again. 

"I believe this calls for a celebration." Merritt said leading the way into one of the dens. 

"I am completely on board with that" Lula said grabbing Jacks arm following Merritt. 

Daniel shook his head but moved to follow, knowing Dylan was right behind him. He could still feel phantom hands grabbing his arms and hoped that maybe a couple of shots could relax his nerves. 

He slumped down into the couch pulling his legs up and tucked under him. Dylan took the seat beside him throwing his arms on the back on the couch. Daniel let himself lean into Dylan a bit, just enjoying the closeness. 

"You okay?" Dylan asked softly watching Merritt play around at the small bar with Jack seeing who could show off the most skill in bartending. So far Jack was winning for most types of throws but Merritt was doing some interesting moves also. Lula had ran over to grab the remote for the tv so they could see the coverage of their act. 

Daniel gave a small nod "yah I think so." 

Dylan turned and gave a small kiss to Daniel temple bringing the arm that was behind him to rest on Daniels shoulders. 

"I wonder what happened to Thaddeus?" Daniel asked leaning a bit more into Dylan. 

"I'm not sure, but he is likely going to pop up again. He alway does." Dylan replied. 

"Hey you two love birds come over here and get your drinks before Lula here gets ahead." Merritt said pouring a drink for said horsemen. 

Daniel groaned "I don't want to get up" he grumbled. 

"Come on Buffy, stop being lazy and get up" Lula teased. 

Daniel tensed, he was being lazy? Thinking back he guessed that was possible. He hardly did anything to help with the plan. He just got to sit most of the day with Dylan going over it. Not hard work really. Lula and the other two had been running around the streets making sure everything was set up just so. He knew he should have done more to help.

Daniel did not notice his breathing start to pick up. His mind going over the plan and where he could have helped more. Every thing started popping up. Like how he could have made sure his own act was set up. Or help make sure the barge was ready. How about all the cameras that needed to be set up. Or how about the stupid little panic attack he had at being thrown out of the plane. Hell Jack even saw how pathetic he was. He fucked up so much, how can Dylan want to be near him? How can the team? He was nothing but a lazy slob. 

\------.......

Dylan realized at once something was wrong with Danny. He had gone completely stiff. He pulled back a bit to see Danny's face but found him completely zoned out. His eyes open but not seeing, his breathing fast. Danny's arms which were relaxed on his lap were now tucked into his sides knuckles color white from how tight they were clenched. 

The man was going into another panic attack but it did not make sense. No one was yelling or grabbing at him. They were all still riding the waves of adrenaline from the act so what had set Daniel off. That's when he remembered what Danny had said in the infirmary two days ago. About how Jared seem to love calling him names. And after being manhandled earlier he must have been crashing. Lula comment meant as a tease clearly resurfaced something darker within Danny. 

He gave a quick glance to see if the others had noticed something was up. He knew Danny didn't want the others to see but Merritt knew and Jack clearly saw the panic attack earlier, hell he even helped talk Danny down from it. 

Jack and Merritt were both standing at the bar looking over at Danny concern in their eyes. Lula was watching the tv not aware of what was happening behind her. 

"Lula can you grab us some food from the kitchen." Jack asked easily off to the side. 

Dylan gave him a quick smile of relief before turning back to Danny. 

"Oh yah, there was some appetizers that would go well with one of my famous drinks. They might need to be thawed." Merritt added. 

"What do I look like? Your waitress? Get them yourself." Lula scoffed. 

"You get first dibs on drinks" Merritt said. 

There was silence in the room before Lula sighed "fine, you own me big" she said before getting up and heading to the hallway. 

As soon as she was gone both Jack and Merritt came around to where Dylan was sitting, trying to bring Danny back to the present. 

"Hey Danny it's alright, your safe. I need you to slow your breathing down your having a panic attack" Dylan said softly. 

Daniel did not respond looking straight in front of himself still breathing fast. 

"Hey man, it's me Jack. I need you to focus on your breathing alright. Count them with me. It helps I swear. One in, two out" Jack said kneeling down in front of Daniel. 

Dylan was shocked to see Danny following right away. Then he remembered how quick Jack was of getting Danny out of the attack after being tossed. Clearly Jack knew what he was doing. 

"What caused him to fall into this one?" Merritt asked softly. 

"He was starting to relax after the act. I think he took Lula's statement a bit more to heart then he normally would." Dylan replied his eyes not leaving Danny. He was feeling slightly useless. Jack was much better at getting through to Danny if the calmer breathing had anything to go by. 

"And how did you get to be so good at this Jackie boy" Merritt asked. 

"I just am. Now Merritt can you bring me a cup of water. I think Danny is coming out of it." Jack said. 

They could see the tension in Danny's shoulders start to fade as he fell a bit more into Dylan. 

"Hey, you okay?" Dylan asked softly. 

Danny rubbed a hand over his face taking a few deep breaths in. "I'm fine, now what is the chance we just all ignore my little break down and get to partying."

"Danny man I just want you to know none of us think you are lazy. If fact you are the least laziest one out of all of us because Merritt has you beat hands down." Jack said still on the ground in front of him. 

"Hey now, I don't think that is truly fair to say of my skill. Just because I can make other people do my bidding does not make me lazy" Merritt replied good heartily.

Dylan could see Daniel putting his mask on to face Jack and Merritt. "I don't know what you are talking about Jack. I'm fine. It was just something stupid that my mind latched onto." 

Dylan watched as Jack eyed the man he was sitting beside before giving him a smile. 

"Your right, now do you want me to fetch you your drink or do you want to get up and grab it?" Jack said moving to stand up. 

"I'll grab it, just give me a minute" Danny said pulling himself to sit up so he was not leaning on Dylan anymore. 

Merritt handed Danny a glass of water which he set down on the table beside him. 

"You want to talk about it later?" Dylan asked letting his hand rub up and down Danny's back hoping it helped the man get rid of the last bits of panic. 

"I rather not." Daniel replied softly. 

"Alright." Dylan said. 

"Actually I think I'm just going to head to bed. I don't think I will be very good company right now" Daniel said getting up. 

"Danny?" Dylan asked looking up at the man. 

"Please Dylan" Danny whispered, not looking up from the floor. 

Dylan took a breath in looking over the man. He looked almost defeated. His shoulders were slumped down, his eyes downcast. Arms wrapped around his stomach. 

"Do you want me to come with you?" Dylan asked moving to get up. 

Danny shook his head. "No, enjoy the victory. I'm just going to head to my room." 

"Alright, sweet dreams" Dylan said. 

Daniel blinked and look to Dylan with a bit surprise in his eyes. "You too" he said before heading out. He passed by Lula at the door. 

"Hey Buffy where are you going? I brought the snacks?" She said. 

Daniel kept walking leaving her in the doorway. 

"What's up with him?" She asked looking at the three in the room. 

"He's not feeling well" 

"Ah panic attacks do that." Lula said with a nod coming into the room. Seeing the looks of shock from the others she rolled her eyes. "Wow really? Thanks for the vote of confidence there, guys. Yes I saw he was having an attack. I'm not stupid." 

"And you weren't making a big deal of it?" Jack asked. 

"I'm not mean. I know enough that Danny hates being seen as weak. I did not know if this was common for him so I figured I would just keep my mouth shut and see what happens." 

"Thank you Lula for not making a fuss about being asked to leave the room then." Dylan said 

"Hey I get it, panic attacks are rough. I had enough of them as a kid." Lula said after setting down the plates of appetizers. 

"You have had panic attacks?" Merritt asked handing over a drink to her. 

"What part of parents knifing each other did you not hear because I'm sure I told you about that part of my crappy childhood?" She said taking a huge sip of her drink. "It's not like a kid could just get over that" 

"I guess not" Merritt replied looking at Lula with new appreciation. 

"So what happened for him to have an attack? Or was it because of the plane thing. Is he scared of heights?" Lula asked spinning around on the bar stool to look at the three. 

"No, but your right about Danny not wanting to be seen as weak. He will tell you when he is ready." Dylan said 

"Okay" Lula said drawing the word out. "Is there anything I should do in case I find him having one then?" 

"Stay near him and try to couch him how to breath. At least until Dylan or I get to him" Jack said. 

"Yah about that. How do you know how to do that." Dylan asked turning to Jack. "I took courses in talking people down but you were able to get Daniel out of two attacks relatively quick without hesitation." 

Jack shrugged "I just do? It's no big deal. I learned it on the streets. I'm sure yours is more proper anyways." 

Dylan raised an eyebrow. He knew there was something Jack was not mentioning. You don't just learn those skills on the street unless you need to use them a lot."That's your story huh?" 

Jack gave a small smile "yep. Sure is" he gave a wide yawn. "I think I should head to bed. This being up all day and most of the night sucks." 

"Are you getting old Jackie boy?" Merritt said

"Aw but you have only had two drinks so far" Lula said. 

"You can see if you can drink Merritt under the table, but I know I can't." Jack replied.

"You have never really tried Jackie boy. " Merritt teased. 

"Maybe next time. I'm going to go crash" Jack said leaving the room. 

Dylan frowned before getting up and heading to the hallway. 

He watched as Jack walk to his room not without giving the door to Danny's room a sad look before continuing. 

Dylan frowned, what the heck was going on? It seemed like the team he thought he had and what they were now was constantly changing. He sighed before joining the other two at the bar picking up Danny drink and swallowing it down. 

The three of them stayed up for a couple of hours talking about random stuff while watching the circulating news of them pulling off another grand show. 

Soon Lula was fighting the urge to collapse where she was sitting. She had put up a valiant effort but Merritt experience trumped her ability to drink him under the table so Merritt and Dylan helped get her to her room. 

Saying good night to Merritt after he made his way to look in Danny's room to check on the man. Poking his head in he found no sign of the man. He could feel a light cover of panic and quickly checked the attached washroom. Finding nobody he made his way out to the hallway. Wondering what he should do he opened the door to his room. Thinking about grabbing a thicker coat in case he had to go looking outside. 

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a lump on his bed showing in the moonlight. 

"Danny" he said softly into the quiet room. 

The lump on his bed moved slightly. Head peeking out from under the covers. "Dylan?" Danny said sounding sleepy. 

"Are you alright?" Dylan asked coming closer to the bed. 

"Yah, why do you ask?" Danny replied. 

Dylan gave him an amused glance "well not that I'm complaining but your in my room, in my bed" Dylan replied sitting down on the bed. He could see that Danny had moved the pillows to bracket himself. There was even an extra one compared the the two that normally sat on his bed. He watched as the man went red looking away. 

"I could not sleep in mine." He said softly. 

Dylan gave a soft smile "so you decided to sleep in my bed instead?" 

Danny gave a shrug "it's quieter in here."

Dylan chuckled "I see, so am I allowed in my own bed or should I take yours down the hall?" 

Danny blinked "you're not kicking me out?" 

"No in fact I'm really happy you can relax in my room. I was just wondering if I can cuddle you or not?" Dylan said softly. 

"Well I would not say no." Danny replied quickly. 

Dylan let out a louder chuckle. "Okay, let me go get changed and I'll be right back" Dylan said kissing Danny's forehead before going to grab some clothes that were on the chair. He quickly went into the washroom to get ready before coming back out. 

Danny had shifted over to the right side letting Dylan crawl in on the left. Once Dylan was in bed he pulled Danny close. His front to Danny's back on their sides. He could hear the man in his arms sigh before pushing closer into Dylan's arms causing him to hold the man tighter. 

"You good?" Dylan asked once they were settled. 

"Yah thanks" Danny replied softly. 

Dylan knew he had a small smile on his face. He was glad that Danny was willing to come to him. "Good. Feeling a bit better?" 

Danny shrugged "a little bit." He said. 

"Kay, you know I'm here to talk right. I'm not letting you go through this alone" Dylan said. 

"I know, I just needed to be alone for a bit." Danny replied. 

"Of course," Dylan said before giving a yawn "well we should get to sleep. It's almost four in the morning." 

"Love you" Danny mumbled. 

Dylan could not help the grin from forming. 

"Love you too" Dylan replied kissing Danny's neck. 

He could feel the man become relaxed before slipping asleep. With a soft smile Dylan followed. 

\------........

.....Three hours earlier....

Daniel shakily closed the door to his room before slumping down on to the ground. Gah he was such a idiot. Of course he would have a panic attack in front of the others for the second time in as many hours. He let his head fall against the door looking up to the roof. 

He had to keep an eye on his breathing so not to fall into another one. That's when he felt a knock on the door. 

"Who is it?" He asked roughly before clearing his throat and asking again. 

"It's Jack, can I come in?" Jack asked from outside of the room. 

Daniel wiped at his face forcing himself to get up. 

"Come in" he said softly after he opened the door to his room. 

Jack gave him a quick smile slipping into the room. 

"What do you need Jack?" Daniel asked leaning against the door.

Jack pulled out a phone "I wanted to return this". 

Daniel frowned before moving to see if he had his phone on him. 

"It's your old one, before this whole mess started." Jack said. 

"I though it was gone?" Daniel said looking at the phone with a grimace. He would have much rather it stay gone. 

Jack shrugged. "Walter and his men had checked our pockets I guess. Found it and the rest in a drawer at the Sands. I didn't think he should have it so I grabbed. The batteries were dead so I just stashed them until we got back to the market place when you were going to meet the Eye. " 

"I see, so I take it still needs to be charged?" Daniel asked moving to grab it. 

"No, when we got here I was able to find some charging cables." Jack said. 

Daniel held the phone loosely in his hands the screen lit up. "I see" 

"I'm sorry Danny" Jack said quickly. 

Daniels heart clenched when he saw that he had unread messages from Jared."For what?" 

"I saw those messages." He said with a wince "And being me I was concerned. You hide a lot of things from us and I just wanted to know who would send you over twenty messages" 

Daniel froze. "What did you read?" 

"A monster going over what he was going to do with you when he gets ahold of you" Jack said firmly before slumping down. 

Daniel looked away. "I'm sorry Jack" he whispered. 

Jack frowned, "Why are you sorry?" 

"For not being stronger? For letting Jared get ahold of me like that?" Daniel replied. 

Jack sighed coming a bit closer. "You don't need to be sorry for what that asshole did to you Danny. I get it, sometimes bad things happen but that does not make you weak." 

"How would you know?" Daniel asked. 

"Because I know what it's like to live in terror" Jack said softly. 

Daniel blinked looking at him. "What?" 

"I guess it kinda shows that I didn't have the nicest childhood. I ran away after all. Was living on the streets for a good while before I got my card to join you guys. I made sure to keep the subject away whenever you guys started talking about family." Jack said looking down. "It's because my father had a nasty habit of beating on me and my mother. When she died I was the only one left to take it. I ran away as soon as I had enough money saved up to buy a bus ticket. So yah I know what it's like." 

"I don't know what to say" Daniel said. 

"You don't need to say anything. I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want you looking at me funny. I was worried that if you knew you would not treat me like an adult." Jack replied. 

"So why tell me now?" Daniel asked. 

Jack took a deep breath in. "Because I did not want you to feel alone like I did. To think you must be weak for letting that monster get to you. Because your not Danny, you survived and from what I read protected us." 

Daniel shrugged. 

"I take it Dylan and Merritt know?" Jack asked changing the subject. 

"Dylan knows almost everything but Merritt knows about me being physically beaten. And likely now mentally." Daniel replied. "I was thinking about tell you and Lula once everything calmed down but I was scared."

"Hey man it's alright. I was going to let you tell me when you were able to but after earlier I figured that maybe I should tell you a bit of my story." Jack said. "I know you were wondering before what was up with my behavior and I'm going to admit after reading some of those texts I might have had my own little flashback. But I'm here for you like you are here for us." 

"Thank you" Daniel said softly. 

"No problem." Jack said with a grin "Well I should head to bed. It's been a long day and I'm beat. I'm sure you could use the rest too." 

Daniel gave a nod moving away from the door. 

"Oh a word of advice" jack said turning around to face Daniel. 

"Hmm?" Daniel hummed. 

"If you find you can relax with someone then sleeping on their bed helps a lot for keeping nightmares away I find." 

"I'll take it under advisement." Daniel said with a drawl.

"Just trust me. I'm sure Dylan wouldn't mind either." Jack said with a grin before leaving the room shutting the door behind him. 

Daniel groaned moving to sit on his bed. "My teammates are so annoying" he said feeling the smile come to his face. "But they try" 

Bad mood forgotten from earlier he got ready for bed curling into the pillows. 

He could just faintly smell Dylan scent on the pillow he used last night and could not help bringing it closer to his face. He was fine he could sleep on his own. But the image of sleeping on Dylan's bed would not leave him. 

He tried to sleep for a bit before giving up and sitting up with a groan. "Stupid jack and his stupid ideas" he muttered grabbing the pillow and making his way out of the room. Looking to make sure no one was around he opened the door and looked in. There was no one in the room causing him to sigh. 

This is a bad idea maybe I should just go back he thought. It's not like he has slept very long in this bed. We have only been here for two nights and he spent one of those nights in my bed. Daniel turned around to leave when he saw the bed being lit by the moonlight. Biting his lip he went into the room and stood beside the bed. 

Sitting down he could not help but feel his body relax a bit and with a huff crawled into the bed. Dylan would likely just leave him alone in his room and he really did feel better sleeping with the man. This way he could make his intentions clear even if he was asleep. 

"I'll blame jack if Dylan asks" he mumbled before letting himself drift off. 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> Thanks again for all the kudos. I love each and everyone of them. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out Sunday, I swear. I will also be replying to comments tonight after my meeting I have to go to. 
> 
> Thank you all for taking the time to read and see you all on Sunday. And as always if you see any little spelling mistakes let me now.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the kind words and kudos. Here is chapter 15. 
> 
> None of the NYSM cast are mine.

Chapter 15

Dylan woke to a scream and a elbow into the stomach. Trying to pull air into his lungs he quickly looked around trying to figure out what was happening. The sun was just raising, bathing the room in a light color making it easy to see the room. 

He saw Danny standing by the bed rubbing at his wrists. Whole body trembling, taking deep gulping breaths in as he looked around the room in jerky movements. 

"Danny?" Dylan asked looking towards the man not sure if he was wanting someone close. 

Danny flinched looking to Dylan before looking away again. His hands clenching into fists but still lightly shaking. 

Dylan slowly got off the bed and walked around to where Danny was standing. Danny's eyes were closed as it looked like he was trying to control his breathing. 

"Danny, your safe. It's just us in the room. It" Dylan quickly looked to the bedside clock. "It's nine in the morning. It was just a bad dream okay?" 

Danny scrunched up his face while one hand moved to cover his face as he let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry" he said lowly. 

Dylan could see the tears slip under Danny's hand and felt his heart break. He gently reached for Danny's other hand coming closer. 

"It's alright" he said. 

"No it's not. I'm sick of this. Of having these sick nightmares of that monster. I just want them gone." Danny said pulling his hand down letting Dylan see Danny's haunted, tear filled gaze. 

"I know," Dylan said simply pulling Danny into a hug. Danny tucked his head into Dylan's neck taking a breath in and letting it out slowly. His body still lightly trembling. 

"I heard talking about them helps" Dylan said rubbing his hands up and down Danny's back. 

Danny gave a weak chuckle, pulling away with a shake of his head. "You don't want to know." He said softly pulling away from Dylan. 

"Danny, I'm not going to judge you" Dylan said. 

"You will, I do. " Danny said moving to sit on the bed putting his head into his hands, elbows resting on his knees. 

Dylan moved to sit beside him "You shouldn't." 

Danny huffed, "How can I not. I only suffered with the man for half a year. Jack suffered for years." 

Dylan frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Jack he came to my room last night before I came here. He found out about Jared through my phone. Apparently Walter kept our old ones and Jack was able to steal them back for us. He saw Jared's messages that were left on my phone and decided that he should tell me I'm not the only to suffer. His father would beat him. He told me he knows what its like to be beaten with no option to escape. He lived with it for years." Danny said. Giving a shake of his head. "I lived with for six measly months and I can hardly function." 

Dylan closed his eyes. Now he knew why Jack was acting so off in the last few days. He was probably blaming himself for not noticing and dealing with his own issues about finding out that his teammate was abused. 

"I don't think Jack told you his history with abuse so you would belittle your own. They are not comparable. You both went through a large amount of pain no matter the time frame. You are not weak for having a hard time processing everything. Everyone is different. " Dylan said. 

Danny shrugged clearly not wanting to believe Dylan's words. "But he's not having constant break downs. Look at me. I freaked out from one little dream." 

Dylan sighed "Jack also has had years of working through it, while you don't. I know if I was in your shoes I would be a mess." 

"I just want this all to stop. I'm tired of having panic attacks over everything. Of having them because my friends just happen to say something he mock me with. I just want to be able to sleep curled up next to you and not have to worry about these horrible nightmares." Danny said. 

"I know, me too. But we will get through this. You will get through this." Dylan said. He moved to sit on the bed. "Come on we can relax a bit longer before we have to meet with the others." 

Daniel looked to the bed then to Dylan. "I" he gulped "you should get some sleep, I'm going to go read." He said moving to leave the room. 

"Danny?" Dylan asked.

Danny stopped at the door. "I can't stay in bed after a nightmare" he admitted "but that doesn't mean you should be stuck staying awake because of me. I'll just head to the library and read for a bit. I'll see you at breakfast." 

Dylan watched as Danny left the room shutting the door gently behind him. Letting out a sigh he rubbed a hand over his face. He was trying to let Danny process and work his way through the trauma without being pushy but it was like one step forward and three steps back. He did not know how to help Danny. 

Getting up, he got ready for the day not being able to sleep anymore either. Once ready he headed out to find Danny. Just to make sure he was safe. 

Peeking into the library he saw Danny curled up on the couch with a book and a set of headphones on. Deeming Danny as safe right now he moved to find Li, maybe he knew what to do. 

Walking through the large safe house he found Li and Mark sitting in a room eating breakfast. 

"Morning" he said coming into the room. 

"Ah Dylan, the man of the hour. That was magnificent. Well done." Mark said with a grin. 

Dylan rolled his eyes "it would not have been possible without my team or the Eye" he said sitting down at the table. 

"Yes but it's your face that is being plastered in all the news. Check it out" Li said pointing a finger at the tv. 

Dylan glanced over to see a piece of last nights footage playing from when they were on the plane before it changed to showing Walter, Tressler and Chase being put in handcuffs before going back to the reporter. "The horsemen have done it again. They were able to bring Walter Maybry to justice after the man had faked his own death to invest into many illegal deals while dazzling the world with wonderful feats of magic and mystery. This will be a New year celebrations to be remembered for years to come. Who knows what they have planned for next time. Will we see more of their leader Dylan Rhodes, who was the main FBI agent in charge of tracking them down when the Horsemen first became noticed almost two years ago. Or will he slip back into secrecy? One thing is for sure, the whole world is watching to see their next act." 

Li changed the channel to a different Newscast showing similar images. He kept going through them all. Each showing parts of what happen last night. 

"This one in particular is quite amusing" Li said stopping on a channel. 

There was two news casters sitting at a table with a picture of Dylan and Danny showed on a screen behind them. 

"Is there a romance happening inside the horsemen or are we seeing some epic bromace?" One of the reporter asked looking to the other. 

"Well from that kiss they shared when it rang midnight in London will definitely point to a relationship." The other one replied before the scene of Dylan and Danny sharing a quick kiss. They both had huge smiles on their faces. 

"So many fans must be crying right now." The first one said with a chuckle. "How long do you thing this relationship has been going on. From the looks of it, they seem to be quite happy"

"Yes they do. And who knows its hard to say. They both look quite comfortable with each other so it could be awhile now. We know for sure there was talk about a fifth horsemen the first time these guys popped up on the radar. So if it was Dylan, these two might have been together for awhile. But however long they have been together they make a cute couple. And if they are watching we wish them all the best and we can't wait to see you guys perform again." 

Dylan could not help the small smile before turning to the other two. 

"Turn it off," he said trying to fight down his blush at seeing the two looking at him with huge grins. 

"Aw but you guys are so cute" Li said laughing but turning off the tv. 

"How is Daniel doing? He missed his appointment last night" Mark said. 

"Yah, you two have been practically inseparable. I would have thought you would be with him." Li said. 

Dylan sighed. "I want to be, but truthfully I don't know. He had two panic attacks last night and this morning I woke to a scream and a jab in the stomach from his elbow because of his nightmare. He is hiding out in the library reading a book right now." 

"I see, were the panic attacks due to the act last night?" Mark asked placing his fingers together in front of him. 

"I think so. When we were on the plane we had to act like we were not wanting to be thrown. There was a lot of screaming and grabbing. I'm sure Danny was fighting more then just Walters men during it. Once he was thrown we were able to get his mind off of it to finish the show but once we were back here I think he started think about it and then Lula shot him a teasing comment and the next thing we know he was having another one." Dylan said. 

"What happened after his second attack?" Mark asked. 

"He disappeared quickly after coming out of it. I figured he felt embarrassed because it happen when the whole team was there. I gave him some room because he asked for it and when I went to bed he was curled up in mine. So I don't know. Then after this morning fright, he took off to the library and told me to go back to sleep." Dylan replied letting his head hit the table with a soft thump. "It feels like just when he is making progress he reverts even further after." 

"Has he told you much about what he went through?" Mark asked. 

Dylan looked up, "Yes and no. Little things about how Jared took a lot of his control away but when I ask about the nightmares he clams right up. I don't know what to do. I don't want to push him and force his hand but I know that if he starts to talk about it he will stop repressing it and start to deal with it." 

Mark gave him a soft smile. "It's not easy when we see our loved ones hurting but you are doing the right thing. He needs to come to terms about what happen to him and he can't be pushed to talk until he is ready for it. Just be there for him. He needs you more then ever." 

"I just want to get my hands on that bastard that did this to him and show him what it feels like to be abused." Dylan growled 

"Well then I'll guess you like my news." Li lean in. " We were able to track Jared down. He has not been all that quiet since you guys have been here. He has been spouting lies and rumors about Daniel but the Eye was quick to nix them before they got to the media. The Eye does not want Daniel to suffer anymore because of the man. Do you want him brought here or should we keep him in New York?" Li asked. 

"Keep him in New York. I don't want him anywhere near Danny until Danny is doing better. " Dylan said 

"It might help him get over what has been done to him. To confront the man that hurt him." Mark said. 

"It might but I don't want to try that until Daniel has had more time to figure himself out. It's only been a week since he saw Jared." Dylan said. 

Mark nodded before looking to Li "did your agents notice him having any close friends or people he talks to regularly?" 

Li nodded "A couple why?" 

"Check into them for me. I'm sure you can find some dark dealing going on." Mark said gathering his dishes. 

Dylan frowned "What do you know doc?" 

The doctor looked at the two. "I think more has happen, then what Daniel has told us. I want to make sure nothing is hidden. Men like Jared don't just pop up. There is something more. I know it." 

Dylan took a sharp breath of air in. "Your right, I didn't even think about that."

Mark gave Dylan a smile as he stood up. "You were concerned about your horsemen its okay." 

He patted Dylan on the shoulder "you love Daniel and it shows. Li and I will work out the rest of details you should go be with your man." 

Dylan gave them both grateful smiles. "Thank you. It's nice knowing we are not alone." 

Li chuckled getting up also "you were not alone we just wanted to see how you guys could handle a problem on your own. You did it wonderfully now let us take care of the small stuff." 

"Still, thank you" Dylan said getting up. 

"Don't worry about it. Also we are moving you guys to a new safe house after lunch so let your team know." Li replied. 

"Good to know. I'll tell them when they drag their butts out of bed. I'm sure two of them are going to be awhile. They did some serious drinking last night." Dylan said with a shake of his head. Between the three of them they polished off a couple of bottles and Dylan barely had any of it. 

Li smiled. "There is food in the kitchen, why don't you make up a couple of plates and go sit with Atlas while you wait. I'm sure he would not mind the company." He said while leaving the room. 

"That obvious?" He asked. 

"Only when you know what to look for. Now go" Li replied.

Dylan nodded before following him out. At the kitchen he loaded two plates with food before heading to the library. 

Danny was in the same spot as before tucked into the corner of the couch. A book across his knees and headphones still in. Dylan could just hear the music coming from them. It had an angry tone to it. Dylan knew Danny was not going to hear him with how loud the music was so after setting down the food he moved to stand in front of Danny to try and draw his attention. 

He saw that the book was one of the ones Merritt had in his room before. It was about dealing with being abused. Dylan wondered where Danny got that or if Merritt left it out. 

Danny was quick to notice Dylan once he was standing in front of him. Shutting the book and holding it close to his chest. "Dylan?" He said roughly looking up. 

Dylan could see that Daniel eyes were red and there was tear stains going down his cheeks. Daniel must have realized that Dylan could see it because he was quick to rub a hand over his face wiping away the tears while pulling off the headphones. 

"Hey, you doing okay?" Dylan asked crouching down so he was eye level. 

"Yah, just rough reading" Danny replied tucking the book closer. "Did you get anymore sleep?" 

Dylan wanted to ask about the book but he did not want to push Danny away from reading it. "Nah, went to go see about food. Met with Mark and Li. They were watching the news about us. We are quite the celebrities right now. Mark was wondering how you were feeling since we forgot about checking in with him yesterday." 

"Oh yah, well I'm fine. Does he still want to see me?" Daniel asked. 

Dylan shook his head. "Later, Li said after lunch we are being moved to a different safe house so we will check in with the man then. I brought some food because I know I'm hungry and I'm sure you could use a bite or two." 

"Oh" Danny replied looking down to the book before looking up to Dylan "I could eat something I guess" 

"Great, it's on the table" Dylan replied moving to stand up. 

"Dylan?" Danny said looking at him. 

Dylan was still crouching down on the ground."Yah?" 

"Thanks" Danny said. Looking down he bit his lip before looking back at Dylan. "For this morning. For letting me run off after waking you up so rudely. I didn't mean too be like that. I just needed some space". 

Dylan smiled leaning up to give the man a light kiss. "It's alright, I get it. Just next time maybe let me in a bit?" 

Daniel took a shaking breath in, moving to hug the man. "I'll try. I just." He trailed off "What that man did to me, It was not just physical. It was mind games and pain and I think a part of me is not ready to deal with how messed up it made me. I know I'm safe and that you guys are safe but Jared was alway trying to break me so I just shoved it all away trying to ignore because he came so close to pulling it off. I though I could keep doing that because it seemed I was getting better. But after those last two attacks and nightmare I realized that I can't just keep shoving all it all away. He's always going to be hiding in my mind if I'm trying to ignore him. But I didn't know where to start so I ran out. I came here hoping that maybe I could find something." 

Dylan pulled away to look at Danny better. "Did you?" He asked softly. 

Daniel looked back down to the book before looking up to Dylan. "Maybe? I don't know. But this book has some interesting ideas and I think I should try them." He said with a tilt of his head. 

Dylan placed a hand on Danny's cheek swiping his thumb under his eye collecting the new tears and wiping them away. "If you think it will help you then I am all for it. Just know that I'm here for you. The team is here for you." 

Danny gave a soft chuckle,"Yah, I think I got that. So far the only one left to talk to me is Lula and I think it won't be long. It's not like I'm doing a good job hiding my issues." 

Dylan gave him another soft kiss before getting up and help Danny stand. "She is quite perceptive. She knew you had a panic attack last night but left the room because she knew you did not want her to see it. She also has dealt with panic attacks maybe you, Jack, and Lula should all sit down and talk about rotten life experience?" 

"What about you and Merritt?" Daniel asked placing the book on the end table. He grabbed Dylan's hand and let himself be led to the table with the food. 

Dylan grinned "I'm sure we can come up with something to cheer you guys up after" 

"If Merritt is involved then you can bet it has something to do with liquor." Daniel said. 

"I'm sure it will. Now let's eat before our food gets cold." Dylan said pulling out a chair for Daniel. 

"Sounds good" Daniel replied. 

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? I'm at 50k words now you don't know how shocking that is for me. 
> 
> I was thinking about taking some of Danny nightmares and turning them into one shots. That way if people don't want to read the graphic scenes they can just skip it and I can still keep this story more focused on the healing aspects. How does that sound? 
> 
> Thank you all for reading and giving kudos and commenting. Make me one very happy writer. 
> 
> I'll be answering comments on Monday and next chapter will be out on Tuesday so see you then.


	16. Chapter 16 part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone 
> 
> Sorry for the late chapter again :( I just could not get this chapter to do what I wanted so the characters got to have a fluff moment to get my brain working again.

Chapter 16 

Daniel bit his lip as he set down his fork. His plate still had plenty of food on it but his stomach felt like it was in knots. 

He knew he had to tell Dylan about Jared. It was physically affecting him by trying to hold it in. But he was still worried that by telling Dylan, Dylan will see how truly weak he was. But all the stories in the book had one thing in common. 

He sighed looking up to Dylan. "I'm going to grab something. I'll be right back" he said getting up. 

Dylan gave him a curious nod watching him leave the room. 

He quickly made his way to his room. Doing a quick look around he found where he threw his old phone and grabbed it. Walking back it felt like his heart was in his throat. Once inside the room he found that Dylan had cleared the dishes off to the side and had moved to sitting on the couch. 

Biting his lip he moved to sit beside him leaving space as he sat against the corner facing Dylan. He held the old phone in his hands, thumb running over the case like it has a million times before. 

"Remember how I said Jack found my old phone and that's how he found out about Jared. Well here" he said holding it out. 

Dylan looked to it before looking back to Daniel. "I don't need to see the phone to know you are saying the truth Danny". 

Daniel gave a quirk of his lips. "Thanks but I want you to see the messages. I need you to see why Jared still affects me." 

Dylan gave a short nod before reaching out to grab the phone. Holding it he looked to Daniel once more. Daniel gave a jerky nod looking at the phone and Dylan. 

Dylan opened it up to read the messages that were within. 

Daniel could not help but wish he had his deck of cards to fidget with. His hands felt empty with nothing to do. He closed them into fists setting them on his lap as he watched Dylan's face get progressively darker. 

He forced down the flinch when Dylan looked up at him, eyes and mouth tighten with anger. 

"I will kill him" he said shortly. 

Daniel grimaced "as nice as that would be, I don't think that is a good idea. We are already wanted internationally for stealing and conning people. I don't think we should add murder to those charges also." Daniel said. He could not help the feeling of warmth run through him at what Dylan had said but he can't have the man kill for him. 

"Oh believe me, no one will even be able to identify him let alone pin the blame on me." Dylan said glaring at the phone. 

Daniel placed a hand on Dylan's knee trying to bring him out of his angry mood. "Thank you, but that's not the reason I showed you the phone." He said. "I showed you because I need you to understand what Jared did to me. Messages like these have been common for months and maybe I started to take them a little bit more to heart then I should have. He used fear and anger to get me to behave how he wanted me to behave. Threats from him were much more common then niceness." 

"How long before he started to carry through with them?" Dylan asked setting the phone to the side grabbing Daniels hand with both of his. 

Daniel thought back coming to when Jared first hurt him. "It was after a day that I spent mostly with Jack and Merritt. I didn't notice the missed calls or texts. I just went straight to his house. As soon as I stepped inside he had me pushed up against the door. At first I though the was being playful but he wasn't." Daniel looked away and took a breath in "He tied me up and took his belt to my back. Screaming at how I was such an inconsiderate fool to not reply to his messages. My arms and back had bruises and welts for a week. The next day he swore he never meant to go so far. That he only was upset that I didn't return his call or his texts. I learned to be a lot quicker to replying after that."

Dylan kissed his hands "the doctors had mentioned that you had scars on your back. We're they from that?" 

Daniel shook his head, his free hand going to his shoulder. "Not that time." He said his mind going back to that night. "He liked to use a whip on me more then a belt. I was late cleaning the house and his friends saw some of the mess. He had them tie me to the table before taking a whip to my back. He had them each take a go at it and by the end my back was all ripped up. He left me there over night." Daniel took a shaky breath "I must have passed out due to the pain because the next thing I remember was him helping me into a shower the next morning. By the time I was able to put something on it I knew they were going to scar horribly." He gave a fake smile looking outside. "Good thing I never liked having a shirt off in front of people before, now I really look horrible." 

"You could never look horrible Danny." Dylan said softly. 

Daniel looked to him "I want to believe you but I've seen what they look like. They are not the nicest things to look at." 

Dylan took a breath in. "I guess then I will just have to see them for myself then." 

Daniel froze, he was not expecting Dylan to ask that. He knew Dylan had felt them anytime he rubbed his back but to actually want to see them was not something he thought Dylan wanted to do. They were not pretty, at least not to Daniel so why did Dylan want to see them? To make fun of them? No Dylan would never do that to him. His breathing started to quicken as he pushed his back into the couch. 

"Sorry, that was stupid of me. " Dylan said with a wince. 

"No, I just. What if you don't want me after you see how damaged I am?" He whispered. 

Dylan raised a hand to caress Daniel cheek. "I will alway want you Danny, scars won't scare me off. But if your not ready to show me then that's okay." 

Daniel closed his eyes bowing his head. "Thank you." He said softly. He wanted to show Dylan but the thought of Dylan seeing his scars felt more intimate then what they have done so far. 

"Do you want me to stop rubbing your back for now?" Dylan asked. 

Daniel shook his head looking back to Dylan. "No, it's stupid I know. But I don't feel them when you touch my back." 

Dylan smiled, "Would I be able to rub your back right now?" 

The showman blinked before giving a slow nod. Dylan reached over to pull the man against him so Daniel was more or less laying on top of Dylan. Dylan watched Daniel face as he gently lowered his hands into Daniels back. 

Daniel tucked his hands and face into Dylan shirt as the man started to rub his shoulder blades gently before traveling up to his neck. "I'm not going to break" he said softly into Dylan's shirt. 

"I know" Dylan said still gently running his hands up and down Daniels back. 

He could feel the soft brush of Dylan's fingers as they found and traced one of the smaller scars. 

"They never took away how amazing you are Danny" Dylan said. 

Daniel looked to Dylan face. He did not know how to reply to that. On one hand he felt anger at Jared for doing what he did but on the other Dylan was looking at him like he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was a heady feeling. 

He did not realize how tight he was holding his back until he let it relax as Dylan carefully traced his hands over the scars. 

"Can I kiss you?" Dylan asked softly. Hands still tracing the scars. 

Daniel blushed but nodded leaning up. After each kiss Daniel felt himself drift off just a bit more. It felt so amazing and he did not even know how much stress he had until Dylan worked it all out of him. He felt like a pile of goo where he sat, as Dylan continued to rub his back. 

He remembered reading something similar in the book he was reading this morning. 

The book, that he found it in his room when he had gone to get changed. It was sitting on the bed and at first he thought for sure it was Merritt's little poke. He was just going to throw it back into Merritt's room when he had caught a few words on the back. 

Opening it up he found that it was stories of different people and their abuse. The few stories he read they all talked about the pain, the fear, anger. But they all ended with hope. They all said that he was not the problem and that he was not alone but it will get better. 

He owed Jack an apology for not taking what he told him to heart. It was not a competition about who suffered more. Like he ashamedly thought. Jack told him so if he needed Jack he could talk to him. Same with Merritt and Dylan. He was sure Lula was going to be the same. 

One of the stories was about a woman who was physically troture and was beaten horribly, leaving scars all over her body. She hated everyone of them until her lover laid her down on the bed and kissed and traced every single one of them until she could not feel the pain anymore. That all she could feel was the warmth and knew that she was loved. Daniel had teared up when reading the story. Many of the elements were similar to his situation. He wonder if the idea would also worked for him. Daniel could tell that so far just letting Dylan rub his back was really nice. Maybe later he could show Dylan his back. 

Many of the stories had mentioned that many people faced issues with intimacy between partners after suffering abuse and Daniel honestly could see how it would be an issue. He had silently worried before a few times. More so after he had read some of the other peoples stories. Wondering if he was going to flashback while he was with Dylan or if he couldn't stand to be fully open.

But this here laying against Dylan's chest, was nice. He could do for hours and not feel like how it was with Jared. He wondered if he could convince Dylan to also go without a shirt when he showed his scars. He was sure it would help keep his mind away from freaking out. 

"So your not disgusted with all my scars on my back?" Daniel asked softly after a few minutes. 

"I wished you were never in such a situation to get them but I would never be disgusted with how your body looks. You will always look perfect to me" Dylan said softly into his ear. 

Daniel let out a soft sigh of contentment. " I love you" he said before realizing what he said. "I mean" he stammered trying to sit back up. 

"I love you too Danny" Dylan replied holding him close. "You don't need to explain anything."

Daniel could not help the smile that came to his face or how he snuggled in closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was that fluff? A smaller chapter then normal but it seemed these two want more fluff. Instead of fighting and trying to get a full chapter I figured to split it into 2 and give you guys what I got so far. 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments. 
> 
> Next part will be out sometime on the weekend depending how quick I can wrangle the next chapter. Same with the comments.
> 
> Thank you all and see you soon.


	17. Chapter 17 part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright part 2 
> 
> Thank you all for your patience with the longer time frame. It helped so much not feeling that constant struggle. Also thank you for the wonderful comments. So nice to read when fighting with writers block. 
> 
>  
> 
> None of the NYSM cast belong to me.

Chapter 17 part 2

 

Dylan was quite content to lay like that for another couple of hours but unfortunately Lula came into the room grumbling about her killer hangover. 

When she saw the two of them laying on the couch chest to chest, she gave a squeal before grabbing her head in agony. 

"Not fair, you two are being all cute and here I am not being able to properly enjoy it." She pouted. 

Daniel rolled his eyes sitting up and off Dylan. The tender moment lost with Lula arrival. 

Dylan sat up also not being able to help resting his arm over the back of the couch letting his hand rub at Danny's neck. 

He was happy to feel Danny leaned back into Dylan's hand. A small smile playing on his lips, as they watched Lula slumped onto another couch. 

"Remind me to never try to go up against Merritt again." She moaned. 

"I told you it was a bad idea" Jack said coming into the room. 

"Jackie, come sit with me" Lula said patting the couch. 

Jack chuckled but sat down beside Lula. Lula right away hid her face into Jacks arm. 

"So what's going to happen now?" Jack asked looking towards Daniel and Dylan. 

"Not sure, the Eye wants to move us to a different safe house." Dylan replied letting his fingers play with the short hair on Danny's neck. 

"So we are just doing a hurry up and wait thing?" Lula asked around Jacks arm. 

"It would appear so." Dylan replied. 

"Well it's probably for the best. We did just make a huge statement last night." Danny added. 

"That along with the fact that all four of you have completely killed many fans dreams with your little love fest." Merritt said coming into the room. "It's all over the news." He said grabbing the armchair for himself. 

"Really? Not our amazing acts but us kissing? That's what they focused on?" Jack asked. 

"Well you know the public love a good or bad love story. I bet if we hit up the Internet we could find out what the fans are saying" Lula said sitting up. 

Daniel groaned "Please don't, Henley loved doing that. Drove us up the wall." 

Dylan shook his head grinning at Danny. "Here I would have thought you liked to hear what your fans thought of you?" 

"I do, but if just about me and you or us and anyone on this team in a relationship setting I rather just stay away from it." Daniel muttered. 

"Aw did you read some Jack Daniel stories" Merritt teased. 

"Nah he was totally reading himself and Dylan which on that note I'm going to go see if anyone has come up with a good pairing name for them." Lula said with a grin. 

"I did no such thing and don't you dare Lula. Besides until now, no one even knew that Dylan was part of the team." Danny said his voice going higher. 

Jack could not stop the laughter as took in Danny offended face. "Aw man that's never stopped them before, they totally would have done some Romeo and Juliet stories. You a wanted criminal and Dylan the FBI agent sworn to get you. Remember New Orleans? It totally would have worked." 

Danny glared at Jack, "How would you know? Did you go looking?" 

"So there is! I knew you looked" Jack said with a cheer. 

"No I didn't." Daniel screeched. 

"I think the man protest to hard" Merritt chuckled. 

Danny glared at him but slumped back into the couch. "You know what? You guys suck. I'm done with all of you" 

"Aw Danny don't be like that. We think it's cute you went looking for pairing stories of you and your one true love" Lula cooed 

 

Dylan blinked looking towards Danny who was studiously looking at the wall. A blush raising on his cheeks when he caught site of Dylan. "Really?" He asked with a grin. 

"I'm not answering that. In fact I think I will go find Li and talk to him since he is the only one not to tease me." Daniel grumbled getting up. Dylan caught his hand before he could leave pulling him close. 

"They are just jealous because I get you and they don't." Dylan said giving the man a quick kiss. 

Danny raised an eyebrow and a corner of his lips. "I like the sound of that." He replied before giving a kiss back. "But I still have to ask Li something. Be back in a bit." 

Dylan gave the man a nod watching Danny leave the room. 

"Man you are so smitten with him" Jack said. 

"I know it's great" Dylan said with a grin. 

"Ugg I think I'm going to see if the good doc has anything to help this killer headache" Lula grumbled getting up and swaying lightly. 

Merritt shook his head. "I told you to quit before that third bottle" 

"Shut up, I don't even know how you are not in pain like I am. You basically matched me shot for shot" Lula grumbled. 

"It's magic" Merritt said waving his fingers in the air. 

Lula shook her head "Ugg I'm not ready for this. I'm going to find the doc or coffee." She said leaving the room. 

Dylan shook his head turning to look at Merritt. "You could have just said that you had a higher liquor tolerance" 

"Where would the fun in that be? Besides she might not want to be so quick to try to drink me under the table next time. I rather not wake up with the killer headache I woke up with today ever again." 

Jack laughed "did she almost beat you Merritt" 

Merritt rolled his eyes. "Let's just say she is quite the little spitfire when she wants to be. Lucky for you Jack." 

Jack frowned looking at Merritt and Dylan. "Why me? What do you mean?" 

Dylan raised an eyebrow "well you two did share quite the kiss yesterday" 

"So?" Jack asked. 

"You know what, I think we should just let him figure it out" Merritt said turning to look at Dylan. 

Dylan nodded wondering how Jack could miss something so obvious. Lula crush on him could be seen from the moon. 

"Come on Man, that's not fair. What are you two talking about?" Jack whined. 

Dylan shook his head in amusement.

\-----...... 

 

Daniel checked another room trying to find Li before frowning. It was like the man had disappeared. Letting out a sigh he started to walk back to where the team was when he ran into Lula. 

"Hey have you seen the doc?" She asked. 

Daniel shook his head "No, have you seen Li?" 

"Nope" she said popping the ending. 

Daniel sighed "well it looks like we are both out of luck." 

"Yah it seems so. So how are you doing?" Lula asked. 

"I'm" he looked at Lula "I'm doing better, come I want tell you something" he said leading the way to one of the rooms they had passed by. 

Stepping into the room he let Lula 2walk through before shutting the door. 

"So what do you want to talk about?" Lula asked. 

"I'm sure you have noticed a few things, about me?" Daniel started. 

"Oh you mean the panic attacks and the bruising on your arms?" Lula asked. 

Daniel gave a tight smile "yah that." He sighed "before all of this started with Walter, I was in a bad situation. I was dating someone who well frankly loved to hurt people and I was an easy target. The panic attacks and the bruising are left over remnants from my time with him." 

Lula looked down and gave a short nod. "I figured it had to be something major to rattle you like that." She looked up "I know that when my mom went after my dad with a knife it rattled me and him. Things like that scar a person in more then just one way. But you have Dylan now, so yay. Has he been good to you?" She asked. 

Daniel nodded,"Dylan has been amazing. I don't know why, after all I was horrible towards him." 

Lula grinned "Can I let you in on a little secret about our leader? When he approached me to come join you guys he could not stop talking about you. It was really cute actually. It was Danny this and Danny that. Of course he talked about Jack and Merritt also but with you he seemed to have a sparkle or something. I knew right then that he was pretty much smitten with you. And even after everything that has happened he has not lost that sparkle." 

"Really?" Daniel asked. 

"Yah I thought for sure you two were together already so that's why I had to pop in and see you. When you made no word about Dylan I was wondering if something had happen. Imagine my surprise when I finally see you both in a room and nothing happened. No hugging or fighting? That's when I realized that maybe there was something going on. I thought you were pissed off at him because of me but now it makes sense."

Daniel raised an eyebrow "huh? well now you know" 

"Now I know, so who was the bastard who hurt you?" Lula asked. 

Daniel raised an eyebrow,"Jared why?" Daniel asked worried. 

Lula grinned "No reason. Just don't be surprised if he magically appears in a jail cell or better yet at the bottom of the ocean." 

Daniel raised a hand to his head "Lula don't. He's not worth that." 

"But you are" Lula said looking deadly serious while grabbing Daniel shoulder. "That man hurt you, and no one gets to hurt my family." She then grinned. "Besides if you think Dylan and the other two are going to let the man get away scratch free then I think your putting yourself down to much. They love you. Well Dylan loves you differently then Merritt and Jack and Jack is mine so you can't have him like that. And does Merritt have anyone? Because it's just sad if he is the only one of our group without someone to love. I'm sure there must be someone." Lula rambled. 

Daniel could not help the laugh that came out as he listen to Lula ramble on. 

Lula grinned "yay I got you to laugh. Score one for laughing Lula." 

"Laughing Lula?" he asked with a chuckle. 

Lula nodded, "Yah, I like making people laugh and you have been serious way to long for my liking. Now do you think we have been gone long enough or should we keep the others in suspense for a bit longer?" 

"You don't have a headache do you?" Daniel asked. 

Lula grinned "nah, just didn't want Merritt to feel bad that a girl could drink him under the table. Your male egos would not be able to take it otherwise." 

Daniel chuckled "you know, when I first met you I was concerned that you would not fit in but now I see your perfect." 

Lula gave a mock gasp. "Careful Buffy, I'm trying to be a taken lady. Go complement your boy toy instead."

Daniel tilted his head. "I don't know what I should be more concerned about. That you are aggressively going after Jack and he can't see it or that you called Dylan a boy toy." 

Lula raised her hands. "Hey I call them as I see them. And if Dylan wasn't so smitten with you and you with him, I would totally try to climb him like a tree if you know Jack was not around." 

Daniel choked "well thank you for that image."

"Your welcome, now shall we join the others?" Lula asked 

"Lead the way" Daniel replied opening the door. 

Lula gave him a smile as she passed by. "Such a gentleman, Dylan should watch out, I might have just snag you for myself" 

Daniel shook his head but followed her out. 

 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? 
> 
> All this fluff is killing me, I'm going to need to write some pain in soon or I'm going to get a toothache ;)
> 
> Next chapter comes out on Monday. And I will be answering comments over the weekend. See you all then.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here is chapter 18!
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and the comments it was really nice to get them. I finally caught up on replying to them also which opps sorry that it took so long. 
> 
>  
> 
> I do not own NYSM or its cast.

Chapter 18

Lula and Daniel joined back up with the other three. At lunchtime the group met with Li who gave them the directions to the new safe house. Daniel was curious about why the change but figured it had something to do with how looked for they were. 

They really didn't have much to pack since they had nothing with them so it was a quick few minutes to grab the few things they wanted to bring. Daniel was just coming out of his room that he spent two nights in when he found Mark standing outside about to knock. 

"Uh hi?" Daniel asked. 

"Oh good your still here, can I talk to you for a quick minute?" Mark asked. 

Daniel opened the door fully while standing off to the side so Mark could come into the room. 

"What do you want to talk about?" Daniel asked leaning against the closed door. 

Mark gave him a soft smile. "How are you feeling?" 

Daniel shrugged "alright why?" 

"I heard that you had a couple of panic attacks yesterday evening." Mark asked. 

Daniel inhaled sharply. "Yes but I worked through them." 

"How is it going with Dylan?" Mark asked. 

Daniel gave a small smile, "He's been wonderful" 

Mark gave a quick nod and smile. "How far have you two progressed with your relationship?" 

Daniel could feel his back tense "Why?" 

"Because of what happened with Jared, as a doctor I had to check for STIs. So far the first tests came back negative. Unfortunately we will still have to wait for another couple of weeks to test for the others. If you and Dylan have progressed to having a full sexual relationship I need to know in case we have to test him also." Mark said softly

Daniel closed his eyes. Of course that man still had to throw problems at Daniel. "All we have done is kiss and slept side by side. Nothing sexual." He replied lowly. 

"Understandable, I'm sorry that I had to ask such an invasive question but I needed to know. I would like for you to try to avoid any sexual activity until we find out if your negative or not." Mark replied. 

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose, he did not want to think about that. "What happens if I am?" Daniel asked. 

"Depending on the infection there is cures and there is ways to manage it. I'm not telling you to freak you out, but so you are aware." Mark replied. 

"Well thanks I guess" Daniel replied. "Is that all?" 

"I wish it was but want to tell you that I believe you are not the first person Jared did this too." 

Daniel frowned "you mean? Could there be others like me?" 

"Yes, I don't believe what happen to you was a single case so If you remember anything that might show a possibility please let me know." Mark asked 

Daniel shook his head, "Why? Why think that now? What changed?" 

Mark looked to the side "The Eye sent agents to find Jared. They would never let a man get away with what he did to you. One of his friends has ties to some extremely shady contacts. If it is what we suspect we think you were chosen and not a random meeting. We are needing to find out how deep this goes." He said softly. 

Daniel opened his mouth before shutting it and moving to a chair sitting down shakily. "Wha, I, chosen?" he stammered looking to Mark before looking to the floor suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. "Does Dylan know?" 

"Im gonna be honest. Dylan started looking for Jared as soon as he found out that he was behind you being hurt. He asked Li to send agents to find the man. They did and have been keeping an eye on the man. This morning I realized that we were missing a bigger part of this and asked them to look further into it. We just got word of some strange trails. I came to tell you because I believe you need to know what's happening." 

Daniel rubbed a hand over his face "Does Dylan know about what you found out just now?" 

"I'm sure Li is talking to him now" Mark replied. "Don't be mad at Dylan he wanted to keep this from you because he cares about you. He wants you to be spared from the pain."

Daniel stood up, "I'm not a fragile tea cup!" He replied harshly. "I have the right to know what is going on with Jared." He opened the door and slammed it shut. 

Seeing that Dylan was not in his room he stalked to the library seeing him and the others there talking in low voices. 

"Daniel" Merritt said in greeting, straightening up. 

Daniel watched as Dylan turned and looked at him. 

"Danny?" Dylan asked taking a step towards him. 

Daniel could feel Mark come to standing behind him. "Why?" Daniel asked.

"Why what?" Dylan asked. 

"Why did you keep it a secret from me? That you had the Eye search for Jared? Why didn't you tell me?" He took a deep breath in fighting back the tears. "Do you think I'm so weak that I could not stand to know?" 

Dylan winced "of course not Danny. I didn't tell you because when you first told me about that monster you said you wanted to forget about him. But I couldn't just let him get away with what he did to you so I asked Li to look into the man. I was waiting until" he trailed off. 

"Until what? I could handle it? What Dylan?" Daniel asked. He needed to know why Dylan would keep this from him. 

"Until that bastard knew the pain he put you through. He hurt you, I can't just let that go." 

Daniel did not know how to feel about that. On one hand it hurt that Dylan was going to keep this a secret from him but on the other it was nice that Dylan was willing to do that for him. He looked to the rest of his team. "Did you guys know about this?" 

They all winced and looked down to the ground. 

Daniel "Really? All of you?" 

"To be fair Merritt knew I had the Eye to look into Jared." Dylan said. 

"Only because you knew as soon as I found out that I would be hunting for the man to kill him." Merritt replied standing up tall looking at Daniel with no apology. 

"And I knew Dylan would, so I just planned on how I was going to torture the man" Lula said looking up to Daniel and Dylan. 

Jack coughed and raised a hand. "I knew because I talked to Li about it last night because I needed to know. He told me there was an investigation and that Dylan would let me know when they heard more about it." Jack added. 

Daniel rubbed his head with his hand. Knowing that they were going to to do that for him help like he was finally safe but he needed them to know that he was not weak. "Look I appreciate that you were going to get revenge for me but what I don't like is that you felt I needed to be shielded from it. Don't you guys think I want my revenge too? After all it was me that went through his abuse. I think that should mean I get first dibs on the man before you guys get to." He said looking up to them all. 

Dylan gave him a soft smile and nod. "Your right. You should get first shot at the man." 

The other agreed around him causing Daniel to smile. He stepped closer looking to them all. "I don't know what I did to deserve all of you but thank you. Dylan I was told by Mark that you heard of the latest news?" 

Dylan reached out, holding his hand out. Daniel took it without pause letting Dylan embrace him. Daniel could not help holding the man close, closing his eyes to breath in Dylan scent. 

"Yah" Dylan replied softly. "How do you feel about it?" 

Daniel pulled back a little to look Dylan in the face. "Is it wrong for me to feel relieved?"

Dylan shook his head "no". 

"What did the Eye find out?" Lula asked coming closer. 

"And why would it make you feel bad for being relived?" Merritt added. 

Daniel looked to Dylan wondering if Dylan was okay with him telling what was new. 

Dylan pulled back and gave a nod moving to stand beside Daniel. He kept Daniels hand in his giving it a light squeeze. 

"I might not be Jared only victim. That it was not my fault for Jared doing the things he did to me but it was because he really was a sick monster and he planed it all from the beginning." Daniel said. 

Lula frowned "and that makes you feel better how?" 

"Because his actions towards me was not my fault." Daniel said looking at Lula. "It's hard to explain but I guess that it's knowing that no matter how hard I tried to make him stop hurting me I know now it would never had made a difference. That this really is all on him."

"It was never on you in the first place Danny" Dylan replied bringing Daniel attention to him. The other three all voiced the same thoughts. 

Daniel shook his head. "In my head I knew that but there was a part of me that told me if I tried just a bit harder, pushed myself a bit more then maybe he would have stopped. "

"Danny there is no excuse for being hit." Jack said. 

Daniel took a sharp breath in. He looked at the three before looking to Dylan. "The thing is, I was not just beaten. He played mind games and his favorite way of messing with me was to threaten you guys and I would do anything. He would rape me while saying if only I was not so weak to let myself get into such a situation. That if I did things faster and better then he would be kinder, gentler and not need to use you guys to threaten me. I learned quickly that certain things got me worse punishments then others. So yah I fall into such a situation." He said looking down to the ground. 

He did not want to see his teammates pity. As it was he could hear Merritt swear lowly while Lula gasped. He could feel Dylan's squeeze his hand giving him the support he desperately craved. He was about to open his eyes when he heard a crash causing him to jump. Opening his eyes he could see Jack harshly rubbing his hand through his hair a pile of books beside him on the ground that were once on the table. 

Jack was looking at him. "I'm sorry but the man is dead. I don't care if I have to do it with my bare hands but that man is not walking away freely once I get my hands on him."

"Agreed, it's one thing to threaten us but to use it to hurt you. That's inexcusable" Lula said placing a hand on Jacks shoulder. 

"I am in full agreement of this census" Merritt added. 

Daniel could not help but blink at the three. He thought for sure they would would call him weak for believing in what Jared had told him. After all looking back he did. But from the looks on all their faces they looked angry but not at him. They were angry because of what happened to him. Daniel looked over to Dylan. 

Dylan gave him a nod pulling him back into a hug. "I told you they would understand".

Daniel smiled looking back to the other three. "Thank you" he said softly.  
They all gave their nods looking at him kindly. 

"I guess we now know what our next act is." Merritt said. 

"Right, we are going to make some people disappear, never to be seen from again." Lula added.

"They won't know what hit them" Jack said. 

Daniel smiled and nodded. No they wouldn't. 

 

...........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well how was it? 
> 
> So next chapter might be out a little later then normal since a lovely person who goes by the name WildRose900 is willing to beta read to make sure I am giving you guys the best readings experience possible.
> 
> I will also be away from the Internet after Thursday until Sunday evening. It's my grandfather 80th so I will be going out to see and spend time with him. I will still be writing while I'm away of course because I hope to get a few chapters done so when I get back I can post them for you lovely people. 
> 
> I'm hoping to post my next chapter before I leave and have any new comments answered by then also. Thank you all again and see you soon. 
> 
> Thank you all again


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all 
> 
> Sorry this is late. It's been rather hectic for me but I did promise a chapter for Thursday so I hope you all aren't too mad at me for being a day late. 
> 
> Another thank you to wildrose900 for being my beta and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> I do not own the Cast of NYSM.

Getting out of the vehicle Daniel couldn't help but look around. He thought the last safe house was huge but this was amazing. The yard for the house was beautiful and there was no other house nearby meaning that they could go outside and not be seen.

 

He gave a smile to Dylan, who was standing beside him looking around as well. He grabbed Dylan's hand before following the others to the steps leading into the house.

 

Stepping inside he saw both Li and his grandmother waiting. He could not help the amazed gasp as he saw what must have been a planning room filled with stuff from the last week. He did not even notice Dylan slip away as he pulled one of the ledgers that had logistics written on the spine closer. Flipping through it he saw the plans and ideas of everything they had talked about. It was just amazing.

 

Jack, Lula, and Merritt were all gasping in surprise at different things leading him to go see what they had found.

 

"Look it's a model of the Octa show." Jack said looking at the table with the model.

 

"And over here is the vault for the chip" Lula said bending down to look through one of the books. Daniel also moved to check it out wanting to see how much they knew about it. When he heard Lula hit Merritt he looked up to see what she was wanting to say when they saw the man who was at the vault fixing a cup of tea.

 

Daniel could not help the gasp at seeing the man who played host at the vault. Now it made so much sense. That's how the stick worked. It was never in any danger they just needed a perfect distraction to hide its disappearing. In essence they were the performers keeping the eyes of the world on them while other agents made sure to protect that which needed to be protected. Like a hand drawing the attention one way while the other pulled the strings.

 

He turned to look at the others seeing their shocked faces. At least he was not the only one that was amazed. The Eye literally had people everywhere. This was awesome. There was so many things they could do and the first thing on the list was to bring down Jared.

 

Daniel was about to call Dylan over to look at something when he noticed that the man was gone. He gave a quick look of the room before asking the other three if they had noticed where Dylan went. When they all shook their heads looking around the room too Daniel retraced their steps and noticed a different room they had passed by. He could hear Dylan talking to someone. He was about to see who it was when he heard Thaddeus reply. His eyes widened ,but realized how so many things seemed to fall into place. Now it all made sense.

 

Giving a quick look to the others he stepped inside the room coming up beside Dylan.

 

"Hi" he said looking at Thaddeus not being able to give a quick look over at Dylan.

 

He noticed an almost open air about the man he loved and wondered what the two had talked about to cause such a thing. Dylan played his cards to his chest so to see him looking so happy and open around a person they had called their enemy over a year ago was more than just a little intriguing. Daniel decided to throw it on the back burner for the moment wanting to find out more about the Eye and how this was all possible.

 

"So, uh we have a couple of questions to ask" Daniel said bringing his hand to his chin feeling a bit off with missing so many things.

 

When Merritt popped up about it being more like a couple million questions, Daniel gave a little half grin because it was true. There was so many things he wanted to ask the man.

 

Being told that they were not going to be getting the answers felt like a cruel plot twist. They had come so far ,but they still did not find the answers they were looking for.

 

When Thaddeus pointed out the curtain in the corner he knew it was just a distraction, but it worked as they rushed over to check it out. Dylan went first finding a door hiding behind the curtain and pulling it open. Stepping inside they found a white staircase leading down and Daniel could not help, but look down the center to see what was on the bottom.

 

Dylan and the others joined him in looking down, but nobody saw anything other than two grand doors.

 

The group headed down the winding staircase. Dylan was quick to catch Daniel's hand causing Daniel to grin at Dylan and lean a little bit into the mans space. He happen to look and saw that Lula had somehow convinced Jack to let her loop her arm through his as they descended down the staircase. He wondered what it would take Jack to get that Lula really did like him. Daniel shrugged, Jack will get his act together sooner or later. Lula won't stand being in limbo for long.

 

Reaching the bottom of the beautiful staircase Daniel could not help, but look up through the center to see the skylight way up there. Dylan joined him in looking up.

 

"Is it just me or does that look like an eye?" Daniel asked looking to Dylan.

 

"Huh your right" Dylan replied tilting his head to the side looking at the ceiling. Dylan gave a shrug turning to look at Daniel.

 

Daniel grinned before pulling Dylan to follow the others who had gone to check out the two heavy wooden doors. They were painted white like the rest of the stairway yet they were so much fancier.

Jack and Merritt grabbed the handles before pulling them open.

 

Daniel had a hard time holding back a gasp at the room. It was a stage. A huge practice stage all ready for different tricks to be played on it. Around it held the audience chairs. All empty ,but perfect for testing different moves.

 

In the back he could see a huge prop area filled with many gadgets, old props and materials to make things.

 

To know that this was available for them would make many magicians jealous.

 

All five of them spread out to look at everything. Daniel jumped up onto the stage. He looked out to where the audience would sit. In his mind's eye he could see the people sitting there cheering, watching in awe at the different tricks he did to impress the people. The different tricks his team did. This was home. This was where he was meant to be.

 

Daniel could not stop the grin on his face as he looked out.

\----......

Dylan was quite happy with the stage they had found. He watched as Jack, Lula, and Merritt went and checked out the storage area all of them calling each other over and running back and forth between the aisles.

 

He grinned at their excitement before looking to see where Danny had made his way. Danny was quite easy to find as the man was standing on the stage, right in the middle looking out to the sea of chairs.

 

Danny's face had a full grin on it. His whole body seemed to glow with happiness as he stood there relaxed.

 

Dylan could not help ,but pull out his phone to snap a quick photo of the man before tucking it away and heading over. He was able to sneak up onto the stage and come up behind Daniel.

 

"Amazing view huh?" Dylan asked with a soft smile.

 

Danny looked over his shoulder and gave a soft nod. "Yah, this is. This is wow" he said.

 

Dylan nodded wrapping an arm around Danny's waist. Danny tucked himself closer still looking toward the empty seats.

 

"There is so many things we can do with this place. We can plan full acts out. No more hiding in warehouses and ducking into alleyways to keep it hidden. We just have to come here and we can practice for hours. " Danny said looking to Dylan. "How long are we going to stay here?"

 

"Thaddeus made it sound like we can stay here for as long as we want. There is a wing in the back that is for our living quarters. The rest of the house we will have to share with other agents of the Eye, but I don't see that as being a problem." Dylan replied.

 

"That is definitely not a problem." Daniel replied. In a quieter voice he said, "this is the best place in the world compared to what's waiting in New York."

 

"So, do you have an idea about how you want to handle Jared?" Dylan asked bringing Danny to face him.

 

Danny gave a soft sigh. "Well, if Jared is more involved in something then I know I would like to find out what. If there are others out there being hurt because of him, it's not fair to let them continue being hurt while I get to run around here safe."

 

"Do you want to make it a public reveal. Bring light to this situation or do you want to keep quiet and let another set of Eye members take the public credit?" Dylan asked.

 

"I" Danny slumped into Dylan's chest "I don't know. On one hand I want to show the world what a monster he is, but on the other I don't want to have any connection to him when it comes out. I don't want to be seen as being a victim to all our fans or to have them say I was just being a diva and wanted the attention."

 

Dylan rubbed Danny's back. "Anyone who cares about you will never think that Danny. You don't have to tell the fans your personal story as far as they can be aware we will just tell them what I had said last night. That the horsemen can not stand for people who hurt others."

 

"What about the police? Why would they believe us? What if Jared and the rest of his cronies get away because he says that the horsemen are lying? We have no proof other than my word against his" Danny said.

 

"We are going to find proof. We are going to find so much that Jared and all the other possible monsters connected to him will be sent away for a long time. Jared is not going to get you ever again." Dylan replied

 

Danny raised an eyebrow "yah I got that when you, and the others all basically promised me his death." He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, looking down. "As much as I want to say that Jared does not scare me he does. I know what that man is capable of. I just don't want you guys getting hurt because of me. It's a lot easier for the cops to go after you guys for murder then to go after him for maybe assault. "

 

"We have you and we have the Eye. None of us are going to go about this stupidly. Maybe this will be the first act we practice here?" Dylan said looking at the stage.

 

Danny shook his head. "I rather not have our first memories of this place be corrupted by Jared. I want our first act here to be about amazement and wonder not about revenge and anger."

 

Dylan looked at Danny's face carefully before nodding "I can get (understand) that" he said.

 

Danny smiled before ducking his head down and hugging Dylan.

 

Jack came running up on the stage whooping and hollering about how awesome the place was. He was followed more sedately by Merritt and Lula who were each talking about different famous acts and props that were used.

 

"So, I take it you all love the place?" Dylan asked letting Danny pull away so they were standing side by side facing the three.

 

"Best place ever" Jack replied bouncing on the balls of his feet standing beside them.

 

"This definitely has some potential that I could get use to" Merritt said with a big grin.

 

Lula grabbed onto Jacks arm ,but was looking at Dylan and Daniel. "Can we stay here please?" She asked.

 

Dylan smiled, "Yep, we get to stay in this house for as long as we want so I'm glad you all like it."

 

Jack and Lula cheered.

 

"So, what did you find out about our old friend?" Merritt asked.

 

"Well, I learned that Thaddeus and my father were best friend" Dylan said.

 

Hearing the sounds of shock and confusion he gave a short laugh, "How about we go back upstairs and talk about it in the office? It's kind of a long tale and I want to sit somewhere a bit more comfy then a stage."

 

Getting sounds of agreements he led the way back upstairs never letting go of Danny's hand.

 

........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and the comments I love them all dearly. Next chapter will be out on Monday and all new comments will be replied to then also. Thanks agains and see you all on Monday.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter 20. Yah opps. Life is so annoying isn't it? I did not mean for this to be this late but between flying back home and dealing with stuff here. My life kinda went sideways for a bit. On the plus side we should be back to regular updates so yay. 
> 
> This chapter and the last(in case I forgot to mention it) has been beta'd by the wonderful wildrose900. So many thanks there. 
> 
> Thanks to all you patient people and for the comments and the kudos. 
> 
> None of the NYSM cast belong to me.

Chapter 20

 

All of them had headed up the stairs coming into the office. Li was there waiting for them saying that he was going to show them the wing that they get to live in.

 

The wing while connected to the house was also separated by a locked door. This made it so the people staying there can also have space and privacy away from the large amount of agents working for the Eye that were going in and out of the building at all times of the day. Every one of the five member team got a key to the wing so they could go from one part to the other with ease.

 

Their new home consisted of two floors. The bottom floor had a nice size kitchen and dining room combo, a den slash office, a washroom and laundry room. Upstairs held five bedrooms with individual bathrooms, and a living room.

 

With the rest of the house adding the library, meeting rooms and planing rooms and the giant stage down below the house it was quite a nice size. Lula, Jack and Merritt were quick to claim rooms leaving Dylan and Daniel in the living room.

 

Daniel could not help, but stay close to the other man. He was not sure how they were going to sort the bedrooms out. He didn't want to appear weak in asking if he could stay with Dylan, but he also didn't want to appear clingy to the man. He wandered over to the bookcase that sat against one of the walls to look at the books. His mind was buzzing, trying to figure out how to tell Dylan what he wanted to say.

 

"So, I was thinking we should each claim a room" Dylan said coming up beside him.

 

Daniel felt a pang go through his chest at what Dylan said. He tried to put on a fake smile as he turned to face the man.

 

"Ah" he said trying to hide the hurt in his voice.

 

"This way if you get tired of me you have a place you can retreat to" Dylan said.

 

Daniel frowned "What?"

 

Dylan smiled taking Daniels hand. "I want you to have your own place here. After everything you have gone through I don't want you to feel pressured to stay right beside me or to sleep with me. This way you can have someplace where you can go to be alone or to take a break from all of us if I am being a bit much for you."

 

"I don't understand? Why? I mean" Daniel trailed off feeling confused.

 

Dylan caught Daniel eyes with his own moving to gently wrap his arms around him. "You can still sleep in my room if you want and we will only go as far as you want. I just don't want you to feel like it's your only option. I want you to feel safe, by having your own room, you have someplace to go that can just be your space."

 

"I'm not a weak china doll" Daniel muttered weakly.

 

"No you're not, but you are also recovering from a horrible relationship and it takes time to come to terms with everything that has happened in the last while. If anything by you having your own room I feel better that if I become a bit much then you have someplace to go." Dylan said.

 

"What if I don't want to use it?" Daniel asked.

 

"Then it does not get used. But it will be there for you and I don't want you feeling weak if you have to use it." Dylan replied.

 

Daniel nodded before leaning in to hold Dylan. He still felt confused about the room, but at least Dylan was not kicking him out of his room.

 

Once done the three came back into the living room and took seats on the chairs and couches that scattered around the room.

 

"So, this is where we get to live for the next while? Not bad, not bad at all" Merritt said spreading out on one of the sofas.

 

"It's great, but I want to know how the man you guys framed over a year ago actually turned out to know everything" Lula said.

 

"Well, I guess from what he told me was that my dad and him went way back likely before I was even born. They decided to create an act of rivals to boost each other's fame." Dylan replied.

 

"So, he knew everything?" Jack asked.

 

"It would appear so, I don't know how I missed it, but yah he knew everything." Dylan replied.

 

"Why didn't he tell you before we framed him? Why did he go to jail?" Daniel asked from beside him.

 

"He said that he didn't want to spoil the trick. And that this way he could use it to see if I was ready to put away my silly little vendetta away so I could help you guys." Dylan said with a fond smile.

 

Daniel gave a soft smile back.

 

"So I know it's a tough subject and all, but what are we doing about Jared?" Jack asked.

 

Daniel winced it was a tough subject, but it was time he took back the part of himself Jared took.

 

"He and anyone in connection to him is going down. He is not getting away with this. I'm going to ask Li to hand me all the details he knows and we will go from there." Daniel replied.

 

"Alright, so first off we talk to Li about this then what?" Merritt asked.

 

"Then we work on a plan that will bring everything to light. I know it's not much right now, but it's all I have." Daniel replied.

 

Dylan gave Daniels hand a squeeze "For now that sounds good. You guys have gone through a hard week. Why don't you three go explore while Daniel and I go find where Li wandered off to."

 

 

Getting nods Daniel and Dylan got up off the couch and made their way out of their wing and back to the main house.

 

There were a few agents putting books and paper work from the last act away. Daniel could not help, but grab one of the logistic books before it could be brought to the library and put away.

 

Finding Li was easy as he was talking on a phone in a smaller office pacing back and forth in the room. Daniel noted that the conversation was in Li's native language causing Daniel to frown.

 

He needed to set some time to start learning the language. He was pretty sure it was mandarin, but he knew he was going to need to ask to make sure he gets the right dialect. He looked over to Dylan to see him frowning as he watched Li pace back and forth.

 

"Can you understand him?" Daniel asked noticing that when Li said different things Dylan's face would change.

 

"Hmm?" Dylan hummed his thoughts clearly on what Li was saying.

 

Daniel rolled his eyes, well that answered that question.

 

Li said a few more things before pulling the phone away and hanging up. He looked over to where the two of them were standing. "Dylan, Daniel" he said in greeting.

 

"Li, what is going on?" Dylan asked.

 

Li looked to the two before sweeping his hands to the small coffee table and chairs, "Let's sit down" he said.

 

Daniel frowned, but moved to sit on one of the armchairs setting the book he picked up down on the table while Dylan took the seat beside him.

 

"Well, I'll just get this right out, but Jared has disappeared." Li said once everyone was sitting.

 

Daniel felt like his heart had stop.

 

"What? What do you mean he disappeared?" Dylan asked leaning forward in his seat. "I thought you had agents watching his every move?"

 

"The people we had watching him can't find him. His apartment shows signs of rush packing and his vehicle is gone. Our agents are searching, but it's like he disappeared into thin air. His friends too. It's highly concerning considering what we found out about them."

 

Daniel did not like the sound of that. "What?" Daniel asked softly.

 

"When the agents went through his apartment they found his laptop hidden in a fake wall. The computer was heavily encrypted, but we have some of the best code breakers there are and we also have the stick." Li took a breath in looking right at Daniel. "They found contacts with known human traffickers and plans."

 

Daniel could feel dread seep into his core. "What sort of plans?" Daniel asked

 

"Plans about you and what they want to do with you. From what it looks like, Jared has someone who wants you bad. Someone willing to pay over a billion dollars to have you broke and handed to him."

 

Daniel let out a shaky breath "Ah, I see" he said looking down.

 

"From what the agents say there are large amounts of photos stored on the computer. So far they have not broken the encryption, but they are working on it. We are hoping that once we unlock the photos we might have some clue as to where Jared has disappeared to. I also have agents going to check on his friends." Li said softly.

 

Daniel could hardly hear Li over the rush of blood he could hear in his ears. All that was going on in his mind was that someone was willing to pay a billion dollars to have him broke. There was no way someone would lay that sort of cash down and not be willing to walk away from not getting what they want. What if they wanted the others too? What if in trying to catch Jared he leads the rest right to the monster behind the curtain?

 

He didn't feel the trembling going through his body or hear Dylan call his name. His mind was stuck on a loop of seeing his friends and Dylan going through the same thing he went through. All of a sudden he felt sick to his stomach. He jumped up ignoring Dylan and Li's shouts of concern as he ran to a washroom.

 

Once he got rid of everything in his stomach and was trying to stop the dry heaving, he could feel Dylan behind him rubbing his back.

 

Daniel felt his face heat up from embarrassment, how many times is Dylan going to have to see him like this before the man has enough of him?

 

"I'm sorry" he mumbled softly to the toilet not ready to see Dylan's face yet.

 

"Don't be, it's alright. We are not going to let that monster get you." Dylan said handing Daniel a cup of water.

 

Daniel took a sip trying to get rid of the acidly taste in his mouth. "It's not me I'm worried about. There is someone out there willing to spend a billion dollars to have me broke, I don't think the person is going to let you or the team get away without harm. What if whoever wants you guys broken as well?"

 

Dylan softly brought Daniel face to look at him. "First off, even if he gave us the choice to hand you over and not be harmed we would still fight for you. I will fight for you until the last breath in my body Danny." He said softly rubbing his thumb across Daniel cheek. "Second, they probably would love to have us broken because they believe it would be the only way we won't come for you, but see while whoever might have money behind them. We have a huge organization that prides itself in finding out secrets and exposing them for the monsters they are. We will get them."

 

"What if we don't?" Daniel asked leaning into Dylan's hand.

 

"We will. Look what we did with Tressler and his son. Right now they don't know where we are. We will just have to keep low and trust that Li's people can bring us the information we need. Once we know who we are after we can start a plan and bring these monsters to justice." Dylan replied.

 

Daniel was not happy that it was going to put everyone he cared for in the line of fire for him ,but he also knew that he could not stop Dylan or the rest from standing up for him. "Alright" Daniel replied. "So, when did you start speaking mandarin?" He asked hoping to steer the conversation to something a bit more light-hearted.

 

Dylan smiled, "Since I was a kid, my father used to go to Iong's all the time and I thought the language was cool so he got me a tutor in it."

 

"Do you think it would be possible for me to learn it too?" Daniel asked.

 

"I'm sure between Li and myself you will learn it in no time." Dylan said moving to help Daniel get off the ground.

 

"That would be great" Daniel said leaning against the man while blood returned to his legs.

 

Dylan nodded bringing the man into a hug. Daniel went happily just taking a moment to breathe in Dylan scent and ground himself before going back out there.

 

They stood like that for a bit until the pins and needles feeling had completely left Daniels legs.

 

Once Daniel pulled back they walked out of the washroom. They headed back to the room where Li was sitting with his laptop pulled out as he typed something on it.

 

"How are you feeling?" Li asked once he saw Daniel and Dylan come back into the room. They took their seats once more, but this time Dylan did not let go of Daniels hand giving him an anchor to ground himself.

 

Daniel could not help the redness from coming back to his face. "Better" he said looking down.

 

Li gave him a look of understanding "Don't feel embarrassed. I know it was hard news to take and I wish I could have put it in a different way so it would not have hurt you so bad. I'm sorry."

 

"I don't think there is a better way of telling me that an ex is part of a human trafficking ring and that someone wants to buy me for over a billion dollars" Daniel said with a forced grin. "Oddly I think it's nice to know I'm worth a billion dollars"

 

"Your worth a lot more than that Danny" Dylan said with a fond shake of his head.

 

"Be that as it may, I am still sorry. And while I don't know how much it helps, but the higher up that runs the Eye just sent me an email. They want you to know that they are going to stand behind you completely and if you need any help whatsoever they will do their best to provide it." Li said.

 

Daniel felt shock run through his body. He knew he would have his team and whatever help Li could give, but to know that the entire Eye was behind him was a tiny bit overwhelming. "Why?" He could not help, but ask.

 

"Because you are one of the best magicians they have and is part of their best magic team. They stand behind their people and they don't want these monsters on the street anymore then you do. This way they can kill two birds with one stone as you Americans say." Li said.

 

Daniel could not help, but blink at the man. When Dylan gave his hand a squeeze he looked over to the man.

 

"We are not going to let them get you Danny." Dylan said.

 

Daniel gave him a hesitant smile. He still was not a fan of everyone sticking their necks out for him, but maybe with all the help and the Eye putting their full support behind him they can stop Jared and the ring he seemed to be part of.

 

"Okay" he said softly staring into Dylan's soft brown eyes.

 

Their little staring match got broken by Li's cough. "So, while we get more information I'm sure you two and the rest understand that it would probably be best to lay low for the next while. My team will leak some photos of you guys being in America in a couple of days to pull some of the heat out of London. Hopefully after a couple of weeks or so you will be able to leave the house with little fear of being recognized, but until then, it is probably best to stay indoors. If you find you are needing anything just shoot me a message and I will do my best to get it for you. I will also be stopping by every once in a while."

 

"Thank you, this means a lot to us. This place is amazing so I'm sure it will not be hard to lay low here." Dylan said.

 

"Granted you might need a bigger supply of alcohol if you think keeping Merritt and Jack cooped up in one place will be easy." Daniel mumbled, remembering all the times they were forced to share tight places before.

 

Li chuckled "I will be sure to take that in consideration when I do supply runs for you guys. Is there anything right now you can think of that you may need?"

 

Daniel and Dylan looked to each other before looking to Li and shook their heads.

 

"Alright just let me know. Also, Mark will be coming by later. He will send you a text when he is here so you can meet with him either in your area or in any of the rooms not in use here." Li smiled.

 

"This is one of the main safe houses for our agents so there is going to be quite a few popping in and out of the main building area." Li explained. "Also, if you want all of you are welcome to help other agents with their acts or their plans. I'm sure nobody will be upset. The library is also free for you to use whenever as long as you keep it tidy and the stage below is also yours to use."

 

"Thank you, I'm sure we will be able to keep ourselves busy until we hear more about Jared." Dylan said.

 

Daniel nodded his agreement. Hopefully he could find something to keep his mind off Jared so he didn't get too far in his head.

 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> So yah like I said above my life went a little sideways there for a bit but now it should be a bit more calmer. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out beginning of next week as it is already written and being sent to WildRose900 right away. 
> 
> Also any mistakes still found are of my fault and in no way reflect Wild's wonderful fixing and editing. WildRose900 is truly a gem. 
> 
> Comments will be replied to tomorrow. Many thanks for those and to the kudos I have gotten. 
> 
> Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and see you all next week.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone   
> Here is chapter 21 hope you all enjoy it. 
> 
> This chapter has been beta'd by the wonderful WildRose900 who is more patient with my writing then she gives herself credit for. 
> 
> NYSM cast do not belong to me.

Chapter 21

 

Walking back to their new living area Dylan noticed that Danny seemed to have fallen into a contemplative mood. He nodded and replied when he was asked something, but he didn't seem fully here.

 

Dylan sighed, today was already shaping up to be a long day. He wondered what was the chance of convincing the rest of an early supper and night. He was not as young as he once was and these half nights, full of heavy emotions were getting to him.

 

Looking beside him he saw that Danny was truly looking tired. What with the dark bags under his eyes and the pale sheen to his skin. He cursed Jared all over again. That monster seem to have left quite the barb in his horsemen and it was upsetting how often it kept hurting the man.

 

Stopping in front of the door that led to their area Dylan watched as Daniel dug out the key from his pocket.

 

"You up for helping me pick out our rooms then hitting the hay for a bit?" Dylan asked.

 

Daniel looked over to him before giving him a nod.

 

Dylan gave a silent sigh before stepping into the kitchen. He was not expecting to see the other all sitting around at the table. Or to seeing a pile of sandwiches on the table.

 

"What's up?" Dylan asked looking to the three.

 

"Felt a bit peckish so I made up some sandwiches. You two are welcome to join while you tell us what you found out." Merritt said waving his hand over the sandwiches on the table.

 

Daniel did not stop as he walking to the staircase,"I'm not feeling hungry right now, Dylan can fill you in about what we found out. I'm going to go lay down."

 

Dylan noticed he was not the only one frowning at Daniel's back as he climbed the steps entering the upstairs within seconds.

 

"So, I'm going to say that you guys heard some upsetting news?" Lula asked looking between the stairs to Dylan.

 

Daniel took a deep breath in still looking at the stairs. "Yah, Jared disappeared on Li's men and we found out that someone was willing to pay a billion dollars to have a broken Daniel Atlas."

 

"Oh" Lula said looking back to the steps.

 

Merritt and Jack looked to each other before looking to Dylan.

 

"I hope you all understand that there is no way I can let any of you out of the house for bit. With the government alphabet after us and now this? It's to dangerous." Dylan asked.

 

"Of course, so I take it Li's people are out looking for Jared? And whoever this other* person is" Merritt asked.

 

"Yah, Li also said that if there is anything you guys are needing to just let him know and he will get it for us." Dylan replied rubbing a hand through his hair. "He also said if you're bored you can help other agents in the main house with acts and planing and all that."

 

"As fun and interesting as that is I think I speak for all of us in saying I think we are just going to relax for now, but maybe later we will do that." Merritt replied.

 

"Yah that's what I though." Dylan said.

 

Dylan stood by the table looking at the stairs. He wanted to go right up there and talk to Danny, but he felt like Danny was unconsciously pulling away. Dylan knew that telling the team a bit more about what Jared did to him was hard for Daniel and that he was probably feeling really exposed, but Dylan worried that if he kept pushing Danny to talk that he might start to resent him.

 

Jack got up dusting off the crumbs of his fingers before looking at Dylan. "I'm going to go talk to Daniel. I know a little bit about feeling hunted like this."

 

"That would be wonderful Jack" Dylan said with a relieved smile, before moving to sit down at the table as they watched Jack climb up the stairs.

 

"He is still really hurting isn't he?" Merritt said softly.

 

"He shoves it away and tries to not let it bother him but yah. Whatever Jared did, he really worked Danny over with it." Dylan said.

 

"Wait, you mean Danny hasn't told you everything he went through?" Lula asked.

 

Dylan sighed looking to the two sitting across from him. "Not really. He has told me things here and there, but a lot of it he keeps hidden. I don't want to push him because it's truly his secret to tell, but I feel that this silence is hurting him more than helping."

 

"What about a therapist?" Lula asked.

 

Dylan frowned, looking at Lula. "He has a hard time speaking to us, to me. I don't think he would be willing to talk to a total stranger about this."

 

"That and the man plays his cards closer to his chest than even Dylan here. He has always been distant from people. It was one of Henley big pet peeves about him." Merritt said.

 

After a moment of silence where each member thought of how they could help Lula was the first to come up with an idea.

 

"What if we get Henley to come talk to him?" Lula asked. "She has known him for years maybe she has an idea about what could help him?"

 

"I thought about that. Danny did mention that he was wanting to speak to her." Dylan said looking to Merritt.

 

"I'm always fine with having the beautiful Miss Reeves here." Merritt said with a grin.

 

"I'll talk to Li then. We have to be careful. With someone after Danny we can't rule out that whoever it is, isn't watching Henley if they found her. It's going to need to be done under stealth." Dylan said getting up.

 

"I'll go with you. I want to explore the rest of this house and see what else it has to offer." Merritt said getting up and gathering the plates to take back to the sink.

 

"Me too" Lula said finishing off the last of her sandwich before grabbing the rest and putting them in the fridge.

 

Dylan gave one last look up the stairs before leaving with the other two. He hoped that Jack could get Danny out of the mood he seemed to be in.

 

\-----......

 

Once Daniel had found a room that did not appear to be taken he sat down on the bed.

 

He had noticed that it looked like the few bags they brought over, had gotten moved from the vehicle to the family room, but Daniel wasn't up to going and grabbing his just yet.

 

His whole body felt raw. Not only from this morning where he had the worse nightmare yet, but then he told the rest that he was sexually abused. Now it sounds like Jared had disappeared and left an even a bigger threat to deal with.

 

Daniel just wanted a break. He curled up on the bed and looked outside the window. As it was Dylan must be wondering why he got into such a problematic relationship.

 

He knew he was slowly falling into his depressing thoughts even when knew he shouldn't and that they wouldn't help anything. But he could not seem to find the energy to fight them.

 

When he heard a knock on the door. He figured that it was Dylan, and he buried his head into the bedding. Just what he needed Dylan seeing him breaking down. Again.

 

"Hey man, it's me" Jack said opening the door and popping his head in. "Can I come in?"

 

Daniel wondered if it was possible he could make himself look like he was sleeping to get Jack to leave. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now.

 

"Hey man, I know your awake. I just wanted to come check in with you after I heard the news." Jack said, destroying Daniels hopes to get him to leave.

 

Daniel could hear the young man come into the room and moving to stand by the window. Daniel elected to just keep his face hidden in the bedding. Maybe Jack will realize that Danny was not up for talking right now.

 

"So, someone has a billion dollar bounty on your head huh? That's interesting. There was a pimp I knew had a couple thousand on mine for a while. Granted, I'm likely worth more being a horsemen now." Jack said opening the window to let a cool breeze come into the room. There was no main roads nearby, but the sounds of birds rang through the room.

 

Daniel could not help, but look at Jack wondering what the hell the man was talking about.

 

Jack must have figured out what Daniel didn't say, but wanted to ask since he filled in the story. "After I ran from my father, I ran into a pimp. He offered me a job but I wasn't interested. I knew what would happened and I was not going to go from one bad situation to another. I guess his clientele had a thing for pretty blond boys because after trying to bribe me with all sorts of things and me not falling for it, he just resorted to putting a bounty on my head to have any goons try to get me."

 

"What made him take it off of you?" Daniel asked.

 

Jack gave Daniel an evil grin,"A knife to his nuts and a call to the cops. Last I heard he is still in jail for another twenty years for almost every single child related abuse sentence and he's never going to be able to get it up ever again"

 

Daniel shook his head, but had a small smile on his face. "If only mine was that easy."

 

"Who says it ain't?" Jack replied with a shrug.

 

Daniel rolled his eyes sitting up. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that if someone is willing to spend over a billion dollars to get me I don't think they will let me go as easy as a knife and to be thrown into jail."

 

Jack came closer to the bed. "You just have to find the right threat is all. Come on, we were able to get Tressler and his no good son and they were not poor. I'm sure whoever is after you has secrets that they would rather stay hidden." Jack said.

 

Daniel sighed, looking out the window.

 

"But that's not what got you concerned is it?" Jack asked.

 

Daniel shook his head "Yes and no. Jared, well he loved to throw threats about you guys. He found out quickly that I would do anything in the end to keep you guys safe. If he somehow gets ahold of any of you, he knows I will give myself over. Even after everything that man has put me through. If he told whoever that was going to pay him that, I could see them going after you guys as well. " Daniel said looking down at his hands.

 

Jack moved to sit on the bed. "Danny, man. I don't get how I use to call you self-centered. We are really lucky to call you our friend and Dylan is really lucky that you opened your heart for him after Jared. But trust me when I say I would never want you to get hurt for me. And I'm sure the others agree with me. Your feelings for us goes both ways man. As much as you don't want us to get hurt none of us want you to get hurt either."

 

Daniel looked away, it made sense, but he still did not like it. Because of him they were in this wonderful little mess.

 

"Now what else has got you all worked up?" Jack asked.

 

Daniel sighed knowing that Jack will not give up until he found out the truth. "Do you ever feel like your really exposed and with one poke you feel like you will crumble?" Daniel asked softly.

 

Jack looked to Daniel, "Your talking about when you told us about what Jared* did to you?"

 

Daniel looked over to the window.

 

"Your feeling exposed because it went from only you dealing with it to what feels like everyone knowing about it" Jack filled in.

 

"Something like that" Daniel replied.

 

Jack nodded "That's common, I think. To feel like that. That loss of control."

 

Daniel pulled his legs closer to his chest. He did lose control and he had no clue how to get it back.

 

Jack hummed looking lost in thought before jumping up, "You know what helped me feel like I was in control again after I ran away from my dad?" Jack said.

 

Daniel looked at Jacks grin and was slightly concern. "What?" He said cautiously.

 

"I learned how to fight." Jack said.

 

Daniel raised an eyebrow at him. "So, that's why you're so good at it. When do you get to practice? I've never seen you sparing."

 

Jack gave a little wince looking away, "Um yah about that."

 

"Jack?" Daniel asked.

 

"Don't be mad, but back in New York it is easy to find fight rings to participate in. I didn't tell you guys because it's my outlet and I didn't want you to tell me to stop."

 

Daniel rubbed his temples, "You fought in illegal fighting rings? Are you crazy?" He asked. "What if you were noticed? What if you got hurt?"

 

"I was dead to the public, it's amazing how easy it is to move around and not be noticed." Jack said with a shrug. "And I'm good enough that besides a few bruises here and there I don't get hurt."

 

Daniel eyes widen, thinking back. "All those times you slipped out of the apartment when we did our first act"

 

Jack gave Daniel a bashful smile "Yah."

 

Daniel covered his eyes and let out a sigh. "I would have thought that you would have stayed away from being hurt after what your father did to you."

 

Jack bit his lip "I know it does not make sense, but so much of my childhood I was unable to fight back. Now I can. I can control how I get hit and I can respond to it. It's a rush now."

 

Daniel blinked "It's your control."

 

Jack nodded. "That and card throwing, yah."

 

"And you think that teaching me how to fight will help me?" Daniel said.

 

"When you were being man handled on the plane, how did you feel?" Jack asked.

 

Daniel looked away, Jack had a point there. "Fine, if you think it will help."

 

Jack grinned "I do believe so. Beside this way you can call stop if you need to take a breather and regain your control."

 

Daniel sighed, "Alright."

 

"Besides, think of the fun you can have with Dylan if you convince him to help you spar. I'm sure Dylan would not mind you practicing some of the moves on a bed." Jack said with a grin.

 

"Jack!" Daniel replied going red.

 

Jack moved away from the bed and towards the hallway, "What? It's fun. Just wait until you try it."

 

"How do you know if I have or have not done that before?" Daniel could not help but screech.

 

Jack rolled his eyes, "Remember all those drinking games Henley liked to start? Yah, you have a hard time holding your liquor. I found out more than I ever wanted to. Your as vanilla as they come."

 

Daniel wanted to hide his face into a pillow. He did not want to be having this talk with his teammate, ever. He swore to never have alcohol ever again, this was way too embarrassing.

 

"I'm going to ignore what you just said." Daniel muttered.

 

"Oh come on. I'm sure you have thought of having Dylan in his handcuffs before." Jack said with a grin.

 

Daniel figured that he was totally in the right when he chucked a pillow at the laughing card man.

 

"Called it, now come on. We need to go find someplace big enough to teach you how to fight. Do you think we could use the stage down below?"

 

"You suck." Daniel said but got up off the bed. Bad mood all forgotten as he followed Jack out of the room to find a fighting space.

 

"I'm sure you would rather have Dylan doing the sucking" Jack quipped lowly before taking off laughing.

 

Daniel could not help dropping his jaw as he registered what Jack said. "You little shit" he cursed running down the stairs after him, hell-bent on strangling the man.

 

Coming into the kitchen he saw Dylan coming in looking confused as Jack hid behind him. "Daniel?"

 

"Dylan, I need you to move please." Daniel replied glaring at Jack over his shoulder.

 

"What's going on?" Dylan said looking at both of them.

 

"I'm going to teach Daniel how to fight" Jack replied.

 

"That's a good idea, but why are you running?" Dylan asked looking to Daniel.

 

Jack mimed putting handcuffs on before making kissing faces behind Dylan.

 

Daniel gave Dylan a tight smile trying not to blush. "Because I'm going to kill him."

 

Dylan smiled before moving out-of-the-way so Jack was not hiding anymore "Ah, well have fun, I'm sure he deserves it."

 

Daniel gave a nod before glaring at Jack.

 

"You're a horrible leader Dylan" Jack yelled out, running away. "I don't know why I'm helping your boyfriend."

 

Daniel could not help the blush from spreading on his cheeks.

 

"Go defend my honor" Dylan said giving Daniel a chaste kiss on the cheek.

 

Daniel nodded before taking off, he could hear Dylan's laughter follow him through the house. He made a promise to hear it more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> Thank you to all who have Kudo and commented. So nice, much wow. Lol
> 
> Next chapter will be out around the weekend time. I know these aren't doing as many as I was before but my life is a little hectic right now. I'm going to try to keep it at two a week but please be patient with me if I miss or am late. 
> 
> Comments will have be answered right after this chapter is posted.
> 
> Thanks again and see you all later.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. 
> 
> Here is chapter 22  
> Longer then normal so I hope you all like it. For some reason it just did not want to end. 
> 
> Chapter is beta'd by the wonderful WildRose900 and any lingering spelling mistake are my own. 
> 
> None of the NYSM cast belong to me.

Chapter 22

Daniel never did catch up to strangle his fellow horsemen, but they did find a empty room inside the downstairs theater they could use.

Jack said that they would start practice tomorrow since they both were still suffering from lack of sleep. Once back in the main house Jack left to go ask Li for mats and whatever else they were going to need to practice fighting.

Daniel went back to the apartment side of the building. Between the running around chasing Jack and being sick he was actually hungry. Daniel wondered if there were any sandwiches left.

Stepping inside he found Dylan at the stove stirring something in a pot. A smooth spicy scent filled the kitchen bringing Daniel to see what the man was cooking.

"Hey Danny" Dylan said giving Daniel a quick look before looking back at the food, stirring the pot.

Seeing that Dylan was not moving away from the stove meant that it was unlikely that he was going to leave it for long.

Daniel was suddenly feeling in a cuddly mood and wanting to hold the man, but what if Dylan did not want to be held? Daniel bit his lip looking at Dylan's back. He decided to take a chance and hug the man from behind, looking over Dylan's shoulder to the food.

Last time he did this was with Jared and the man had backhanded him, while screaming at him to stop being so clingy. So, he kept his body tense until he could figure out what Dylan would do.

\--------..........

After Daniel had run out yelling at Jack, Dylan could not help the smile from coming to his face. It seemed Jack was able to get Danny out of his head thankfully.

 

Not craving sandwiches Dylan moved to make something a bit more complicated, but tasty. Looking into the fridge and pantry he found the ingredients for a simple curry that he like to make.

 

Getting it all set up he let his mind wander. Li had agreed to get ahold of Henley and if possible bring her here. He agreed that if someone was willing to pay billion dollars to get Danny then there was a high chance of them coming after anyone close to the showman.

 

Dylan had also asked about Danny's family, but according to Li there was no concern there. It seemed that the horsemen was passed around in foster care for a quite a few years before he aged out. Just one more thing Dylan did not know about the man.

 

Dylan frowned at the curry. It seemed that he missed quite a bit of information when it came to his team he created. Between learning about Danny's ex and childhood, Merritt's twin brother, and Jack's childhood he was just waiting for something out of Lula's past to pop up.

 

Dylan just hoped that in the end they would be able to get through this stronger than ever.

 

Looking at the time he noticed that it seemed to have flown by and the curry was almost done and now just had to simmer for a bit to make the chicken soft and tender. Moving to make some rice he heard the door leading into the kitchen open. Giving a quick glance he saw that it was Danny.

 

The man looked a bit better, not so down trodden. Dylan guessed that the running around had something to do with it. He just hoped they still had a card man after Danny caught him.

 

Merritt and Lula did not seem to have come back yet, and who knows where Jack ended up so it was just the two of them on this side as far as Dylan was aware.

 

"Hey Danny" he said going back to stir the rice before it could stick to the bottom of the pot. He could feel the showman gaze on his back and was about to turn around and ask what was up when he felt Danny pull him into a loose hug. Chin just hovering above Dylan's shoulder.

 

Danny's whole body felt tense against his, looking out the corner of his eye he could see Danny keeping his gaze lower, bottom lip stuck between his teeth.

 

Dylan lowered his free hand to grab onto Danny's, interlocking their hands, while leaning a little bit back into Danny's embrace.

 

It was the first time the man had taken the initiative to be the one to reach out and hold without being prompted. Dylan was not going to waste it.

 

He could feel the little sigh against his shoulder along with Danny placing a bit more weight against him. Pulling in a bit closer.

 

"What are you cooking?" he asked setting his chin on Dylan shoulder.

 

"A mild chicken curry with rice" Dylan replied stirring the pot.

 

Danny took a strong sniff looking at the food happily. "You mean it's not Mark blandness approved?"

 

Dylan laughed, "If you don't say anything, I won't."

 

Danny gave Dylan a look. "Believe me, I am so sick of bland food, there is no way I am going to tell anyone."

 

"I thought you would be. So, do we still have a card man or should I start looking for a replacement?" Dylan teased.

 

"He is still alive" Daniel muttered into Dylan shirt.

 

Dylan chuckled. "So, what did he do to get on your bad side?"

 

"Nothing, he teased me about something but it's good now" Daniel said quickly.

 

Considering that Danny normally takes his teammates teasing with hardly batting his eye, whatever Jack said really got to him, Dylan mused.

 

"If you say so" Dylan said giving the hand in his grasp a light squeeze.

 

Dylan nodded before going back to rest his chin on Dylan's shoulder. Dylan let the conversation die as he listened to Danny's calm breathing and the bubbling of the food. It was relaxing, just what they needed.

 

Soon the food was finished and Dylan did not want to leave Danny's arms, but he needed to be able to move freely again so he asked Danny to set the table.

 

As he got the food ready to be moved to the table it seemed that a kitchen bell must have turned on because their missing team mates all came in taking huge sniffs in the air as they moved to sit down.

 

"Dylan whatever your cooking please say you have lots" Jack said.

 

Dylan grinned at the three who all looked like they were ready to start drooling.

 

"You guys look like you haven't eaten in days yet, you all had a sandwich earlier, what gives?" Dylan asked, giving a quick grin to Danny.

 

"It just smells so good, please? We will do the dishes" Lula said putting her hands in a praying pose as she tried to implore Dylan.

 

"There's nothing wrong with appreciating a hearty home cooked meal" Merritt added.

 

"What do you think? Should we feed them?" Dylan said looking at Danny who was standing by the stove.

 

"Well, they did say they would do the dishes, which means I won't have to, so sure why not?" Danny replied walking over to stand by Dylan.

 

Dylan laughed, "You guys are lucky I was planning on you joining us." He replied setting the food on the table.

 

They all sat down and started dishing the food into their plates. Hardly a word was said as everyone dug in except for the moans of appreciation.

 

Wiping his face with the napkin and leaning back Merritt looked to Dylan. "That it, you are cooking all the food."

 

"I don't know, maybe we should switch each meal. That way we can try everyone's style." Dylan replied.

 

"Hey man, the only thing I know to make is a mean sandwich and breakfast foods" Jack said scooping out the last bit of rice from the pot.

 

"I'm alright with breakfast for supper." Lula replied.

 

"I'm sure you can each come up with something. How did you three survive when you were getting things ready for the first act?" Dylan asked looking at Merritt, Jack, and Danny.

 

"I'll be honest, if it was not for Henley we would have starved to death." Merritt replied.

 

"Was it because she was the only girl?" Lula asked testily.

 

"Nope, Jack here, was completely ready to live on pop tarts. Danny would get too engrossed in planing the act if we did not dig him out of the paperwork all that would have been left of him would be a skeleton. And I got banned from the kitchen after setting off the fire alarm." Merritt said.

 

"Setting off fire alarm is not that bad" Lula said.

 

"Not alarm, alarms. It was six times. Each one, we feared for our lives" Jack muttered.

 

"There was actually fire coming out of the oven that last time if I recall correctly?" Danny said looking to Jack.

 

"Yep, after that we just banned the man. We ate a lot of takeout." Jack said the with a nod.

 

"Really" Dylan said looking at the mentalist.

 

"Not one of my finer moments, but I have gotten better" Merritt replied.

 

"Oh good, well who wants to take care of breakfast tomorrow?" Dylan said.

 

Nobody raised their hands, causing Dylan to shake his head. "Jack thank you for volunteering" he said looking at Jack.

 

"But I didn't say anything!" Jack exclaimed.

 

"You had that look in your eye" Dylan replied with a chuckle.

 

"Fine, hope you are all fine with pop tarts and cereal." Jack muttered.

 

"Yay, I'm not first." Lula said giving a fist bump.

 

Dylan rolled his eyes, "You can do lunch then"

 

"I should have kept my mouth shut" she muttered.

 

"And which of us is doing supper?" Merritt asked looking to Danny and then back to Dylan.

 

"How about both?" Dylan said looking to Danny "That way I know Merritt won't burn the place down and Danny will keep it edible." Dylan replied.

 

"Does Buffy even know how to cook? All I have ever seen him make are prepackaged meals." Merritt said looking at Danny.

 

Danny rolled his eyes getting up and taking his plate to the sink. "At least I didn't start a fire in the microwave." He said hotly.

 

"That was one time," Merritt said getting up and grabbing his plate to take it to the sink before turning on the water, getting ready to start doing dishes. "Beside you never offered to cook before now, I guess we will see if the great J. Daniel Atlas can cook."

 

Dylan noticed that Danny had what one could say a pained look in his eyes. "I guess we will, have fun with those dishes." He said before leaving the room.

 

The room was silent after Danny had left. Dylan was trying to figure out what must have triggered the man this time. Looking back on the conversation he could not figure out anything. Maybe Danny was still thinking about what Li had told them earlier? Or did they stumbled onto another land mine of Daniels?

 

Dylan had thought Danny was feeling better, but now he was sure Danny just took to hiding his pain even deeper.

 

Danny had even managed to eat every single bite on his plate. Granted it was a smaller portion then the rest, but it was still more than he normally could manage. A good thing in Dylan's eyes, but it would only help if it stayed down.

 

Dylan gathered his plate and cutlery placing them on the counter. "I think it's time to go lay down for a while. If I don't see you three tonight, good night and I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow Jack."

 

"Take Danny with you to bed. It looks like he might do good with some TLC after today." Lula said with a soft smile.

 

Dylan gave her a quirk of his lips "I'm sure he does" he replied to go finding out where his showman disappeared to.

 

.,.,.,.,

 

Dylan found him upstairs looking at the ground, holding the small bag he had filled at the other safe houses.

 

Dylan realized that he was going to need to ask Li for some catalogs or websites so that the team can order some clothes. It was alright using what was available, but they really needed their own.

 

"So, what are you thinking about?" Dylan asked going to grab his bag from the couch.

 

Danny startled looking up. Dylan was quick enough to notice the flash of fear on Danny's face before the man masked into blankness.

 

"Nothing" Danny replied softly.

 

Dylan didn't know if he should push the showman or just let it go. Nothing was ever easy when dealing with Danny, but now it felt even harder knowing what he knew.

 

Dylan decided to risk it. "I don't think it's nothing if I was able to startle you. Are you thinking about what Li told us earlier?"

 

Danny looked away "Partially" he replied.

 

"He's not going to get you, we won't let him" Dylan said coming a bit closer.

 

"You don't know that!" Daniel spun around to face Dylan head on. "Maybe it won't even be Jared that gets me. Maybe it will be someone different? Someone worse? Someone who would love to have a Jack pet, or a Lula slave. Because that is what will happen. So, yes this whole thing is on my mind. I thought I was free when you told me I didn't have to go back, but now? It looks like I can ever be free." He sighed. "And now Jack thinks learning to fight will help. Next I will have Lula showing me to get out of ropes and Merritt doing hypnosis on me. And while I appreciate the thought I doubt they will help in the end."

 

Danny sat down on the couch putting his head into his hands. "My stomach is all in knots, which sucks because when it gets like this I get sick. And supper was really good going down, but I rather not have a repeat performance of it. And now you want me to cook tomorrow and my head is all a mess and I don't know what to do anymore."

 

Danny was breathing fast causing Dylan to worry that the man was going to fall into a panic attack. Danny's fingertips were tensing and releasing against his forehead.

 

Dylan moved to kneel in front of the man gently grabbing his hands away from his face. "I'm sorry Danny. Of course, this is hard to deal with right now. And your right, I don't know what will happen in the future, but I need you to calm your breathing for me. Worrying like this will not help anything. I need you to focus on breathing. Once we got that under control we will move to our bedroom so you don't have to worry about the others." Dylan said soothingly.

 

Danny took a couple of deep breaths clenching his hands around Dylan's. "Don't leave" he whispered softly.

 

"It okay, I'm right here. I'm not leaving you." Dylan said using his thumb to caress the back of Daniels hands.

 

 

\------......

 

Once Daniel had got his breathing back and under control Dylan spoke. "I know that this is hard, but I think that if we have a good night sleep things might look better in the morning."

 

Daniel looked away. He didn't want to sleep. Not with his nightmares.

 

"Come on, show me the rooms you picked out for us." Dylan said standing up giving Daniel's hand a small tug.

 

Daniel got up and silently walked over to the room opening the door and setting his bag in it.

 

Dylan nodded as he looked around. "Looks good. Do you want to get ready for bed first or shall I?" He asked.

 

Daniel shrugged looking down. He could hear Dylan sigh at Daniel non verbal response. He knew he was being difficult, but he couldn't help it.

 

"Danny come sit down me. Please" Dylan said sitting down on the bed that was creased from the last time he was in the room.

 

Daniel sat down beside Dylan looking at his hands.

 

"I don't know what to say or do Danny, I don't know how I can make you feel better right now." Dylan said softly.

 

Daniel didn't know either. Everything felt sore even though he didn't have an injury. He felt adrift in the darkness that kept threatening his mind. Nothing to anchor him to where it was safe.

 

Looking at Dylan, he could see the mans worry on his face and in his eyes. "Hold me" he replied sounding pained.

 

Dylan quickly gathered him up in his arms. Holding him tight. Daniel felt tears start to escape his eyes as he pushed himself in as close as he could. He could not help the little sob as all the pain he had bottled up came out.

 

"I'm here, I'm never leaving you" Dylan said over and over rocking slightly side to side. His hand rubbing circles on Danny's back while the other one rubbed the back of his neck.

 

Daniel held on tighter as the tears streamed out for what felt like forever. Little hiccuping sobs breaking free every once and awhile no matter hard he tried to repress them.

 

When the tears finally slowed and he felt oddly numb, he pull back a bit.

 

"I think I have cried more in the last week then I have since I was a child." Daniel muttered rubbing roughly at his wet cheeks.

 

"That's alright." Dylan replied. "Do you feel a bit better?"

 

Daniel looked up to Dylan. "I feel numb. Like I'm wrapped in a cotton ball."

 

Dylan nodded, "*Releasing all the pain you had stored up inside you can feel like that."

 

Daniel nodded, it made sense. He lent back into Dylan's arms that were still lightly around him. Dylan held on a bit tight resting his head on Daniels. Silence sat around them as just relaxed into being held.

 

"Jared use to make me cook for him and his friends. Depending how well I did meant how hard a beating I got. The last time I cooked was on Christmas. He threw it at a wall right beside me, saying how disgusting it was. That night was really bad." Daniel said softly breaking the silence, looking up to Dylan.

 

Dylan snorted "He's an ass who would not know a good thing if it jumped up and beat him senseless." He said before his eyes gentled "Is that why you went silent again after supper?"

 

Daniel gave a soft shrug before nodding. Daniel averted his eyes to look at Dylan's shirt.

 

"You know that won't happen here right? Even if the food becomes a complete disaster we won't throw it at you or say anything nasty. We will likely order pizza or something, but we won't be like him." Dylan said softly.

 

Daniel nodded. "I know you and the others wouldn't, but after today, it's like everything is off balanced. Once the thought was in my head all I could see was all the worse possible cases once you tasted my food. " Daniel replied.

 

"And tomorrow we will prove that none of them will happen with us. The only thing that may happen is that we order take out. But I think you can keep Merritt from burning down the kitchen so that won't happen." Dylan said light-heartedly.

Daniel shrugged, but a small smile escaped.

 

"So, judging by the fact that Jack looked fine, I take it you did not hurt Jack after catching him?" Dylan asked.

 

Daniel knew he was changing the subject, but let it go. He was ready to talk about something else as well.

 

Daniel rolled his eyes thinking about the chase Jack led him on. The man was quick at thinking on his feet. "Kinda? We found a room to practice fighting in so yah. I don't know how it will help, but I guess it helped Jack from what he told me."

 

"It will. A lot of times people in your situation feel like they are betrayed by their bodies. This will help you feel more in control." Dylan said before looking at him carefully. "How good are you at getting yourself out of holds, ropes and handcuffs?"

 

Daniel could not help the blush from coming over his face. "Alright, I haven't practiced in a while so it might take me a bit to get out of them." He replied.

 

Dylan quirked his lips, "Well, since you didn't seem to like the idea of Lula helping you with that, maybe I can help you if you want? Getting out of those is kinda a hobby of mine, so I can show you all the tricks and ways you can get them on your attackers."

 

Daniel could not help, but think about what Jack was saying earlier and blushed even harder.

 

Jack was right in saying that Daniel was 'vanilla' as he called him. But ever since the day he and Dylan had faced off in the integration room and Daniel flipped the cuffs on to Dylan, he had quietly fantasize about playing around like that with the man in front of him.

 

Daniel wanted to hide his face for how red it must be. Dylan was only offering to help him and he did not mean that he wanted to be tied up in cuffs for Daniel enjoyment.

 

"Danny are you alright? You're going really red?" Dylan said concern, jarring Daniel out of his thoughts.

 

"I'm alright, I'm fine." He replied quickly trying to push those thoughts away.

 

Dylan looked at him before smirking "Is this what Jack was teasing you about? When he was miming being tied up behind me?"

 

"What? No! What are you talking about?" Daniel said pushing away and getting up.

 

"Were you imagining being tied up by me?" Dylan asked getting up also.

 

Daniel shook his head taking a step back. Looking away, blushing hard. He could not believe that after today he would ever feel this hot or embarrassed, but it seemed Dylan loves to create new records for him.

 

"Oh, was I the one tied up? Because that would work for me too" Dylan said taking a step closer.

 

Daniel did not know where this was going, but hearing Dylan say that raised the heat a lot hotter than it had been.

 

"But you know I would be able to escape any time I wanted, your hold on me would be completely about trust in me staying where you wanted me." Dylan said trailing his fingers up Daniel arms. "And I would never break your trust like that. Not when it's so much fun to see what you would do to me." He whispered.

 

Daniel could not help feel that the room felt a lot hotter than it did before. Even with the open window Jack left.

 

"Would you be okay with that?" Dylan asked lowly.

 

Daniel could not help grabbing Dylan's hand and pulling in close. "More than you know" Daniel replied heatedly before kissing Dylan hard.

 

Dylan let him have full control as he pushed Dylan against the bed and dropped down on top of him. Hungrily licking and biting at Dylan's mouth while Dylan's hands rubbed up and down his sides kissing back just as hard. Daniel let himself get lost in Dylan's presence.

 

Pulling back for some air Dan looked down to see Dylan looking up at him with a burning desire. Daniel felt warm all over from the gaze. He bent down to take Dylan's lips once more hungrily.

 

When he felt himself harden though it was like being splashed with cold water. He was up and off the bed within seconds panting hard.

 

"Danny, what's wrong?" Dylan said also jumping up and heading toward him. Any desire on his face turned to concern.

 

"We can't, I, sorry" he said between pants pushing himself further away to lean against a wall when all his body wanted to do was crumple down.

 

"Danny, I need you to breathe okay? It's alright. We can stop, I'm not mad." Dylan said between his own panting breathes, reaching out carefully as if not to spook him.

 

Daniel could feel tears of embarrassment come to his eyes making him feel horrible as he let himself fall down the wall. 'I am such an idiot,' he thought to himself as he hid his face into his knees.

 

"Oh Danny, it's okay. Come here, it's alright." Dylan said coming closer kneeling down. His hand hovered over Daniel knee making Daniel feel even worse.

 

Daniel shook his head. "I freaked out, how is that okay?" Danny said from behind his knees.

 

"We went too fast, I'm sorry. I should have stopped before that before this happened." Dylan said softly.

 

"But I thought you liked it?" Daniel said looking up through his lashes.

 

"Very much so, but it's alright. We don't have to continue this if you don't want to." Dylan replied grabbing a hand gently.

 

"I think I want to, but I can't" Daniel said before looking away.

 

Dylan frowned "What do you mean Danny?" When no words came he asked "Why did we stop?"

 

Daniel felt himself flush red "Mark said it would be best not to go further until all my tests come back negative." He said lowly looking at the carpet.

 

"So, you panicked because of that and not because of a flashback?" Dylan said pulling Daniel attention back to him.

 

"I," Daniel thought back to those few seconds of fear. Trying to figure out what truly caused them. Not being able to come up with an explanation. "I don't know?" He said not meaning to make it come out as a question.

 

Dylan nodded "Alright, well either case how about we go back and sit on the bed. My knees can't take much more of being on the ground." Dylan said with a wry smile pushing himself off the ground and helping Daniel.

 

"Come on, I think we need to talk a bit more." Dylan said still holding Daniels hand.

 

Daniel nodded letting Dylan lead him back to the bed sitting down.

 

"Alright, so first off did I scare you in any way? Make you feel uncomfortable?" Dylan asked still holding his hand.

 

"No!" Daniel exclaimed shaking his head. "You were wonderful. I enjoyed all of it."

 

Dylan smiled "Well, I am in complete agreement, you were wonderful as well and I enjoyed it to. Now you don't know why you fully pulled away, but you think it is possibly due to what Mark said? But it could also be due to the past?" Dylan asked.

 

Daniel looked away and nodded. "You must think I'm an idiot."

 

"Danny, no, never. Something made you pull back, and that's okay. I want you to know you can do that whenever you need to. I was trying to help you figure out your response to it." Dylan said grabbing Daniel other hand.

 

Daniel shook his head, "How can you be so patient with this? I mean it was just getting interesting for you and I freaked out. Jared would have beaten me black and blue then made sure I went through with it."

 

"Well, first off I'm not him nor will I ever be him. Second, I love you, which means I listen to the meaning of no. If you don't want to go further, then I will respect that. You have done nothing wrong and even if you didn't tell me why it's okay if you wanted to stop. I appreciate that you are looking out for me and what you have told me makes sense that we go no further and I'm alright with that." he said softly before bringing Daniel hands up to his lips and softly kissing them.

 

Daniel could not help blushing once more, the amount of times he has gone red today must be in the double digits he figured.

 

"Now shall we get ready for bed? We can lay down and just cuddle if you want? Or we can read, or sleep?" Dylan asked.

 

"I'm alright if the first one leads into the third one" Daniel replied scooting a bit closer.

 

"Alright, do you want to try the stone thing tonight?" Dylan asked getting up. He let go of Daniels hands to go grab their bags.

 

Daniel realized that with everything that had happened yesterday he had completely forgot about that little ritual to help him get through the nightmares. "Yah," Daniel nodded.

 

Daniel let Dylan go first as he put things away in the room. He claimed the side of the bed facing the window while letting Dylan have the one facing the door.

 

Dylan came out letting Daniel quickly go get changed and ready for bed. Looking into the mirror he winced at his reflection. "It's amazing he has not run for the hills seeing that face. I look like I got run over by a jet" he muttered poking at the huge bags under his eyes.

 

Once done he came out to see Dylan locking the door before laying down in bed.

 

"So, others don't disturb us" he said in explanation.

 

Daniel nodded before climbing into bed.

 

Dylan laid down on his back with his hands tucked under his head. Daniel decided that since Dylan kept telling him he did not weigh much to let himself lay more or less on Dylan's chest.

 

Once he was set he leaned up kissing Dylan deeply.

 

"Thank you" he whispered before kissing the man again.

 

Dylan smiled into the kiss. "No thank you. You are so much more amazing than you think you are." He replied his arm coming around Daniels shoulders holding him close.

 

Daniel smiled, they shared soft kisses for a little while longer until Daniel finally allowed himself to yawn.

 

"Alright I think it's time we do the ritual and go to sleep." Dylan said softly.

 

Daniel nodded tiredly letting Dylan lead his way through it just concentrating on the words until he was out.

 

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments. They make me giddy to see. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out sometime the middle to the end of this coming week, comments will be replied to in the next couple of days. Thank you all again and see you soon.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. 
> 
> Sorry about the lateness life and issues love to pop up at inconvenient times don't they?
> 
> Thank you to the wonderful WildRose900 for being my beta for this chapter. 
> 
> The NYSM cast do not belong to me.

Chapter 23

~ Daniel was running through the streets of New York. The sounds of the city could hardly be heard over the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. Running into a dead-end* he cursed spinning around looking for a way to escape.

"Oh Daniel, where are you?" A voice sing-song through the alley way.

Daniel could feel his blood freeze as he turned to look over his shoulder.

Jared stood at the open end with a couple of his friends all around him. They were all leering at him, coming closer.

"Oh Danny boy, thought you could escape us huh? Thought you knew better. I will alway find you Dan. No matter where you go, you're mine. Your little leader will not even be able to recognize you when I'm done with you." Jared said slapping a belt across his hand grinning at the scared man.

Daniel backed up into the wall shaking his head. He tried looking for an escape again finding nothing as Jared came closer.

Jared flicked his wrist making the belt snap in the air causing Daniel to flinch. "S-s-stop" Daniel stuttered feeling like he could not catch his breath.

"Why? Danny, you know I will never stop. You're too much of a wimp to be taken seriously" the man replied.

Quick as a snake Jared reached out and grabbed Daniel around the wrist jerking him to fall forward onto the ground in front of Jared. "That's where you are meant to be slave. Groveling at your masters feet. Now kiss my boots" the man growled waving one of his feet in front of Daniel.

Daniel froze looking at the boot in front of him. No he couldn't, he tried to back up, but Jared cracked his belt threatening beside his face causing him to flinch badly.

"Do it or your little lover boy gets it" Jared growled.

Daniels head snapped up to see Dylan against a wall, back bared while Jared fingered his belt grinning. Daniel own back twinges at the memory of being hit with the same belt.

"Please no, don't hurt him." Daniel pleaded.

"Kiss my boot" Jared demand.

Daniel looked to Dylan who was looking away. As if he could not even look at how disgusting Daniel looked.

"Please just let him go" Daniel pleaded.

"Kiss my boot" Jared yelled back shoving his foot into Daniels face.

Daniel gave one last look to Dylan tears rolling down his face as he slowly leaned forward. ~

 

Daniel woke with a sob. He found himself sitting up tears running down his face. 

The room was dark. The only light coming from the faint trace of moon outside. 

 

He could feel Dylan's arm around him while the other rubbed his back. 

 

"Hey Danny, you're okay. Your safe. I'm here" Dylan said softly. 

 

"Just a dream" Daniel muttered to himself wiping at his eyes curling a bit more into Dylan. 

 

"Right, just a dream. You're okay" Dylan replied. 

 

They stayed there for a bit. Daniel getting his breathing under control, the cruel voice taunts slowly fading. 

 

"What time is it?" Daniel asks looking to Dylan. 

 

"Just after one, do you want to write the dream down or try to go back to sleep?" Dylan offered. 

 

"Can I talk about it?" Daniel asked looking down. Maybe talking about it will help, it was worth a shot. It was not one of his more horrible nightmares, but it was still painful. 

 

Dylan nodded "Of course, you can." 

 

Daniel took a deep breath in before slowly releasing it. "I was running for my life in New York. Jared and a few of his cronies were chasing me. I ran into a dead-end and they caught up. Jared started to taunt me, telling me I can never escape him. He shoved me down onto the ground telling me that a good slave kisses his masters boot. I tried to refuse, but" he stopped taking another breath in feeling the tears start-up again. 

 

"Jared had his favorite belt out. Boar skin with this huge buckle. He was going to hurt you with it if I didn't kiss his boots." He finished quietly. 

 

Dylan pulled Daniel a bit closer. "Is this a normal dream for you?" He asked. 

 

Daniel took a shuddering breath in, "Normal ones start off worse. Jared alway had a thing about me kissing his boots in my dreams. Depending on how much I fight it the dream worsens." 

 

"Ah" Dylan said. "The belt, you have been hit with it before." He stated his fingers traveling down one of Daniels scars on his back. 

 

Daniel looked away. Yes he has, Jared made him bleed on more than one occasion. His back was filled with more scars from the past few months. Jared was ruthless in beating him. 

 

"Can I see?" Dylan asked softly, jarring Daniel out of his thoughts. 

 

"W-w-why" he stuttered before slapping a hand over his mouth. 

 

He hated his stuttering. He use to do it as a kid and was able to get himself to stop before he met Henley years ago. But ever since Jared he found it popping up once more. His only thought was that he had never done it in front of Dylan or the rest, but now Dylan knew. 

 

Dylan gave the man a soft smiled grabbing Daniels hand from his mouth. "Because I want to see if I can heal them" 

 

Daniel did not speak for fear of stuttering again, but he could not see how it was possible for Dylan to heal them. They already were just raised skin. No open wounds or even bruises remained. 

 

"Please?" Dylan asked softly bringing a hand to caress Daniel face. 

 

Daniel bit his lip before nodding. Dylan will not hurt him, he knew as much, but he still worried about what Dylan will think of them. 

 

He moved to turn around and going to grab the bottom of his shirt, but Dylan stopped him. "Lay down on the bed, I'll do the rest." Dylan said. 

 

"My shirt?" Daniel said looking at Dylan. Dylan's brown eyes were full of warmth and understanding. 

 

"Don't worry, just lay down." Dylan said moving so Daniel had plenty of room on the bed. 

 

Daniel laid down trying to relax his stiff back while Dylan was above him. 

 

"I'm going to sit on your legs okay?" Dylan said before moving to straddle Daniels legs. 

 

Daniel could not help the flinch, shutting his eyes tight. 

 

'Dylan won't hurt me, Dylan won't hurt me' he repeated to himself in his head trying to keep his breathing easy while he shoved his face into the pillow he had grabbed. 

 

\-----------..........

 

Dylan sat above Danny and could see how tight the man was holding himself. He was about to call it quits seeing how stressed the man was when he realized that Danny was forcing himself to let Dylan take care of him. Something the showman had a hard time with. 

 

"Just setting my hands on your shoulders" he said softly hoping that it helps the man under him by letting him know what's going to happen. 

 

He lowered them gently, rubbing small circles until Danny started to loosen a bit. He had felt the scars that Danny bore every time he had rubbed his back, but had let himself forget about them, figuring that Danny did not want to talk about them. Now that he was concentrating on them he started to feel a bit of a pattern to them under Danny's shirt. 

 

He let his hands go into slightly wider circles, still just gently sliding them over Danny's back. He was not putting any pressure until Danny got use to the feeling. 

 

Dylan could slowly feel the tightness leaving Danny's body as he rubbed. In his mind he created a mental map of Daniels back, categorizing tighter spots or areas where the scars seemed to be more sensitive. He slowly worked his way down Danny's back until he got to the base. Rubbing gently at the small of Danny's back the shirt slowly raised up. 

 

"How are you doing?" Dylan asked hands staying over top of the shirt. 

 

It took a bit, but finally Danny replied with a slight stutter "Al-al-alright" tensing once again and shoving his face further into the pillow. 

 

Dylan personally found the stutter quite cute, but he could see how much Danny hated it. He had never heard the man stutter before so clearly the dream was still effecting him. Dylan figured that Jared must have something to do with it so he just let it go and didn't bring any attention to it. 

 

"I'm going to touch your skin okay. Tell me if you need to stop." Dylan said before letting his thumbs graze a bit of skin. Danny did not tense nearly as bad, but there was still enough that Dylan just stayed in the same spot until the back in front of him relaxed again. He slowly added more of his hand to touching Danny's bare skin, keeping it light and gentle. Not going any faster as he worked through each tensing of Danny's back.

 

Once his whole palms were on Danny's skin he just let them sit there. He listened to Danny's breathing trying to detect what the man might be thinking or feeling. 

 

"Why did you stop?" Daniel voice muffled a bit into the pillow. 

 

"How are you doing?" Dylan asked in reply. 

 

Daniel moved so that his head was laying sideways on the pillow so he could see Dylan. 

 

"I'm alright, please continue" he said softly. 

 

Dylan could not believe how open Danny looked right at that moment. His face seemed to have lost the slight pinch it had and his eyes looked just a tad bit sleepy. He hoped he would be able to get Danny to fall back to sleep like this. 

 

"Alright. Let me just get a bit of lotion so my hands don't feel so rough." Dylan said leaning over to grab some from his bag he had set on his bedside table. His hands had a habit of cracking in the winter so it was something he carried with himself everywhere. He knew it would not be as good as proper massaging oil and if this helped Danny he vowed to get the proper stuff later. 

 

He warmed it up in his hands before lowering them down on Danny back once more. 

 

Danny flinched a bit, but quickly relaxed again as Dylan started to go in slow circles on his bared lower back. He let Danny's shirt cover his hands as he worked them underneath letting his fingers map the skin where his eyes couldn't. As he slowly worked his way up Danny's shirt slowly got dragged up to letting him see more and more of Danny's skin. 

 

Raised scars littered Danny's back showing a story of pain and hurt. With the weak light from outside Dylan could not say for sure, but it looked like some of the scars were a lot older than just a couple of months. He let a finger trace down one wondering if a belt has been taken to his showman before Jared had. 

 

"I was ten" Danny said bringing Dylan back to the present. 

 

"I did something to piss off my foster family. The older son of this family decided to take his anger out on me. He said he saw it on tv and that it will make me better or something. He tied me down and got a few hits on me before my screams brought the neighbors to call the cops. Turns out the family had a history of abusing the children in their care. I was there for only three days and the parents were taken to jail while their kids went to be assessed by mental health. I got shoved into a new home that did not care about my bleeding back. By the time it healed it left a nasty scar." Daniel added. 

 

"I'm sorry Danny" Dylan said softly. 

 

"What's there for you to be sorry about? You were not there to stop them, and if I was not such a control freak it would not have happened." Danny replied with a shrug. 

 

Dylan could see that there was so much more to the man underneath him then he ever presented to the world. "I wished this had never happened to you" 

 

"Well, it did, Jared thought it was fitting so he never hit over it. He told me that even from a young age I was meant to be hurt." 

 

"You know that is just the talking of a psychopath right. No one is ever meant to be hurt." Dylan said tracing down it once more. 

 

Danny let out a sigh "I know, I made my peace with it years ago." He said before falling silent again. 

 

Dylan wanted to believe him, but he was sure that it still haunts the man to this day. 

 

Once his hand got to the top of Danny's back he let them sit there again. "I'm going to pull off your shirt okay?" He said grabbing the bottom of the loose black shirt. 

 

Danny helped a bit lifting his torso up so Dylan could get it off. Setting it on his bag he looked at Danny's back. The weak moonlight casting shadows over the back making the scars more noticeable. 

 

He could feel Danny tense once more underneath him and lowered his hands back onto Danny's back. 

 

He gave a few sweeping runs over the full of the back like he had done before causing Danny to relax once more. 

 

"How are you feeling?" He asked. 

 

"Open" Danny whispered back. 

 

"You are amazing Danny" Dylan replied bending down to kiss the nape of Danny's neck. 

 

"If you think scars are amazing you might need to see a specialist" Daniel replied looking over his shoulder to Dylan. 

 

Dylan moved to kiss Daniel lips. "You are so much stronger than you know. Each scar is a testament to surviving until now. Each is a moment you could have given up, but you made the choice not to. That's what is amazing Danny" he said kissing Danny again. 

 

Danny looked up to him. Eyes scanning his face before nodding slowly. "Thank you" he said softly. 

 

Dylan nodded, "Do want me to continue?" He asked moving his thumbs a bit so Danny knew what Dylan was meaning. 

 

"Up to you" Daniel said softly. 

 

Dylan wanted to sigh, this was not about him. He was about to say so when he noticed that Danny's face was relaxed against the pillow. Thinking back to the words he realized that it was not so much about what Dylan wanted, but more about the fact that Danny was lowering his defense to give Dylan control. He was not fighting it one bit. If Dylan wanted to stop he would be alright with it, along with wanting to continue. 

 

Normally Danny gave little clues to what he wanted. A twitch, or a word, signs, that Dylan prides himself on knowing, but this was him being fully open and trusting that Dylan will take care of him. 

 

"Tell me if you want to stop" Dylan replied roughly feeling emotions clog his throat as he continued to move his hands tracing scars and rubbing knots out. 

 

Danny seemed to melt into the bed even more, giving Dylan soft little smiles or sighs. 

 

Dylan concentrate on Danny lower back, feel a slight tenseness, after a while of not getting anything he looked up to see Danny out like a light again. Giving the man a soft smile he got off gently before laying down beside the man. The clock read three AM, leading Dylan to smile that it was not too late. He pulled the blanket up to cover Danny's shoulders so he would not get cold before tucking the man into his side. 

 

Danny let out a content sign snuggling closer into Dylan. 

 

Dylan smiled softly hoping that Danny would be able to sleep the rest of the night through now. 

 

 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> Next chapter will be out end of the week and any new reviews will be replied to then also. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading and for any kudos and comments they get me through some days. 
> 
> See you all later.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Here is chapter 24 for your reading pleasure. 
> 
> Chapter had been beta'ed by WildRose900 Thank you!
> 
> I do not own the cast of NYSM

Chapter 24

 

Waking up Daniel felt relaxed as he blinked his eyes open. 

 

Early morning sunlight streamed into the room casting everything in a golden glow. 

 

Feeling an arm around his waist he look behind to see Dylan hiding in the shadow he cast away from the sunlight. 

 

He also realized that he was still didn't have a shirt on, but oddly he did not feel panicky as Dylan's breath fell upon his bare back. Last night was nothing like he expected it to go. From waking up from a nightmare to falling asleep letting Dylan lull him with a back massage. 

 

He wanted to feel like that again. It felt well, for a word, magical. He did not even feel the scars as Dylan rubbed his back last night, making it feel like they were not even there. Daniel kinda wanted to check in the mirror to see if they were even still there. 

 

He laid there feeling the weak winter sun fall against his face and chest warming him. Dylan pushed his face further into Daniels back causing him to smile. He always pegged Dylan to be an early bird, but it seemed the man really wasn't. 

 

Laying there he thought back to what he told Dylan last night. There was no sign of disappointment or annoyance, just concern and acceptance. Dylan did not get upset about Daniel nightmare, he just reassured the man that it was okay and that they were both safe. 

 

Daniel let his hand settle on top of Dylan's giving it a light squeeze. 

 

Dylan responded by pulling Daniel closer and rubbing his face on Daniel back before pulling back. 

 

"Morning" Daniel said feeling Dylan stretch behind him. 

 

"Morning darling" Dylan replied kissing the back of Daniel neck. "Sleep well?" 

 

"Yah" Daniel replied before twisting around. "Thank you" he said looking at Dylan. 

 

"Mmm I'm glad" Dylan said leaning into kiss Daniel. 

 

Daniel smiled into the kiss wrapping his arms around Dylan's shoulders. They spent the next few minutes sharing kisses before Daniel leaned back. "I like this." He said tracing a hand down Dylan's back. 

 

"Me too" Dylan replied moving to rub the back of Daniel neck causing him to melt into Dylan with a moan. 

 

"You have magic fingers" Daniel groaned.

 

Dylan chuckled, "Glad you appreciate them."

 

Daniel let his eyes closed as they just relaxed in the easy silence between them. 

 

"We should get up" Daniel said. 

 

"Mm hmm" Dylan hummed. 

 

"It's getting late" Daniel said

 

"Mm hmm" Dylan repeated. 

 

Daniel looked at Dylan to see his eyes closed. 

 

"Your trying to fall back asleep?" Daniel said. 

 

"Mm hmm" Dylan repeated opening on e eye to look at him. "I have a shirtless, hot man in my bed. If you think I want to give that up to face our team, you're crazy." 

 

Daniel blushed, leaning up to kiss the man. 

 

"Well, it is a little unfair that you get that and I don't" Daniel teased. 

 

Dylan wiggled out of his shirt before pulling Daniel up against his chest so they were chest to chest. "Your right this is better" Dylan rumbled. 

 

Daniel gasped at feeling skin against skin. In his head he had imagined Dylan's chest and what it would feel like. But this was better than he imagined. There was hardly an inch of fat over the defined muscles. A thick trail of hair led down to his sleep pants making Daniel want to follow it. He wanted to trace his fingers over Dylan's chest, but he was not sure how the man would take that so he let his eyes do it. 

 

"Your amazing" he mumbled his eyes jumping everywhere. He noticed a few scars on the body in front of him. A small bullet wound scar that went over his shoulder to the scar that look like a knife wound along Dylan's waist. 

 

"Now that we got that settled lets fall back to sleep." Dylan said tucking Daniel close and shutting his eyes. 

 

"But it's morning" Daniel said with a chuckle. 

 

"No, it's just a trick of the eye." Dylan said without opening his eyes. 

 

Daniel laughed pulling away. "What happen to the morning bird I thought you were?" 

 

"That was an illusion, now sleep we have a couple more hours before breakfast will even be started." Dylan said pulling the laughing showman on top of him blocking the light. 

 

Daniel shook his head from where he laid on top of Dylan. He let his hand trace Dylan's side while the other one rested on Dylan's heartbeat. 

 

Dylan fell asleep pretty quick after. Daniel did not feel like staying in bed for so long so he carefully got up making sure to keep blocking the sun until he pulled the blinds lower so it would not be so bright for the next while. 

 

Daniel quietly headed to his bag and grab the only other outfit he had before heading to the washroom to have a shower. 

 

Once in the washroom he could not help, but look at his back. The scars were still there, but they did not look as bad as he remembered. Jumping into the shower he also realized that almost all the bruising that was on his body was gone along with the sores, leave only faint new scars behind. 

 

He also noted that his ribs were not so easily seen causing him to poke at them a bit to feel the difference. It seemed the food and care was good for him. 

 

Once done with his shower and changed into the new clothes he stepped out. Dylan was still sleeping on the bed with Daniel pillow tucked close to his chest, causing Daniel to shake his head with fondness. He went over to the desk that was placed on the side of the room and sat down pulling out some paper. 

 

He wanted to write down a list of what he knew about Jared. Dylan was right he did feel better about the whole situation now then compared to last night. However, the whole thing still weighed heavily on his mind. Jared was not a threat to be taken lightly and neither should his buyer. 

 

Once he had written down everything that he could remember of Jared and his friends, along with all the tidbits of conversation that he had heard, he sat back. Looking over the list he sighed. Nothing he wrote would help much that he could tell. Setting it off to the side he looked around the room. His gaze falling on Dylan sleeping form. 

 

Dylan was spread out on the bed lightly snoring. The little bit of light peeking out from between the blinds casted the man in shadows. 

 

Seeing Dylan's broad, bared chest and back made Daniel blush at his thoughts. Last night and this morning was the most intense and intimate they have ever gone. Daniel has never had that before. Even before every thing with Jared he never got close to any of his sleeping partners to let them have that total control over him. He wondered why it was so easy to give it to Dylan. 

 

He sighed pushing his thoughts away from that subject for now. Looking around the room he entertained the thought of checking out more of the building, but he was not ready to face the rest of the world yet. He also was not ready to leave Dylan to wake up alone. Call him sappy, but he liked waking knowing someone was there. Hopefully Dylan thinks the same. 

 

Seeing the book he was reading at the other house in his bag gave him something to do. Going over to grab it, he sat in the arm-chair by the window and opening the book to the last page he had read. 

\----------............

 

Dylan woke hours later to a somewhat lighter room. Looking around he noticed Daniel curled up in the armchair reading a book. The curtains were closed, but enough light was peeking through for the man to read it seemed. Dylan blinked. He did not recall asking Danny to stay with him, but he would not remiss the warm feeling it caused. 

 

He gave a soft groan as he stretched bringing Danny's attention to him. 

 

"Well, well, look who's up" Danny teased setting down the book he was reading and getting up to crawl onto the bed giving Dylan a kiss. 

 

Dylan could not help, but raise a hand to hold Danny's head close with the kiss. He faintly wondered if the man was going to grow out his hair or why he ever cut it in the first place. 

 

"Mmm, I could get use to waking up like that " Dylan said before chasing Danny's lips with his own. 

 

Danny rolled his eyes, but kissed the man again. 

 

"So, How come you were over there instead of here?" Dylan asked pulling the man closer. 

 

Danny gave a chuckle before laying carefully down on top of Dylan, "Not all of us can lay around and sleep all day. Once I wake it's up at 'em for me." He teased. 

 

"Huh, I'll keep that in mind." Dylan said. He was about to say something else when his stomach grumbled loudly. He blushed as Danny chuckled getting up. 

 

"I guess I'm getting up to" Dylan said sitting up. Danny sat back on his heels giving Dylan space to move. 

 

"Looks like it, go have a shower. I'm going to go and see if Merritt has an idea for supper in case we need to get anything picked up. " Danny said before getting off the bed. 

 

Dylan got up grabbing Danny's hand. Danny turned around and looked at him curiously.

 

"Thanks for staying," Dylan said softly. 

 

Danny's eyes traced over Dylan's face "It was no hardship." He replied softly. 

 

"Still, it's nice not waking up alone." Dylan replied giving Danny's hand a squeeze. 

 

Danny gave a small nod, a smile coming over his face. Along with a blush forming high on his cheeks. "I'm just going to check what's going on. See you in a bit." Danny said quickly looking away. 

 

Dylan could sense that the man was likely feeling too open and was putting up some walls, but it didn't bother Dylan. He felt privileged to have seen Danny being so open with him. He was sure he could make it happen again. 

 

"Go, I'll meet you in the kitchen." Dylan said. He was going to just let go of Danny's hands, but instead he brought it up to give a light kiss looking over Danny's hands into his eyes. 

 

He watched as the blush turned even darker red and smiled letting the arm drop softly. 

 

Danny kept giving him a soft smile as he moved out of the room. Throwing glances over his shoulder more than once before escaping the room. 

 

Dylan grinned at the closed-door for a couple of seconds before moving to get ready. 

 

Grabbing his clothes he noticed a blinking light on his phone meaning he must have a new message. Frowning he opened it up to read the message. 

 

It was from Li's grandmother, Bu Bu, she was wanting to meet with him as soon as possible. 

 

Wondering what she wanted he got ready for the day. Hopefully it was not more bad news. 

\-------...... 

 

Daniel could hear Lula and Jack laughing in the kitchen as he took the last few steps into the kitchen. 

 

The two of them were standing side by side at the stove giggling over something. 

 

Taking a seat he wondered how long it would take them to realize he was even there. 

 

It did not take long as a knock happened at the door leading all three heads to look at it. 

 

"I'll get it" Daniel said getting up causing Jack and Lula to jump. 

 

"Damn how long have you been sitting there?" Jack said with a hand on his chest. 

 

Daniel grinned "A few minutes, you too were too busy flirting to even notice." 

 

"What! We were not flirting!" 

 

"Danny!" 

 

They both screeched at the same time before looking at each other and going a bit red. 

 

Daniel snickered as he went to open the door. Opening the door he saw Mark and Li standing on the other side. 

 

Seeing their serious faces he sighed and lent against the door frame. "I take it this is not about joining us for breakfast?" 

 

Mark winced, but gave a nod. 

 

"We have some news on Jared. " Li said softly. 

 

Daniel realized that they were giving him the option of talking in privet or letting the others know what was up. Fighting every insecure thought that crossed his mind he opened the door wider. 

 

"Come in," he said. 

 

They both nodded stepping into the room. 

Just then Dylan and Merritt came down the stairs. 

 

"Li, Mark? Is everything alright?" Dylan said walking over to Daniel. 

 

"We found Jared," Li said. 

 

Daniel looked up from the floor. "Where is he?" 

 

Li sighed "It is complicated" he said looking to Mark. 

 

"We believe Jared is in the company of a very dangerous woman. Huntress Gabriella." 

 

Daniel looked around to the rest of the horsemen who all looked as confused as he felt. Dylan on the other hand went pale. 

 

"Ah who is this Huntress lady?" Merritt asked. 

 

Dylan sighed. "She has been on every alphabets organization most wanted posters for years. She runs one of the largest human trafficking rings in the world. Nobody has been able to break it up. Everyone winds up dead or worse. It's been a huge mess." 

 

"And what does she want with me?" Daniel asked biting his lip. 

 

"From what we can tell she's looking to replace one of her slaves. She has very specific tastes when it comes to her own." Li added. 

 

Daniel looked to the two, "So, what are we going to do?" 

 

Li and Mark looked to each other, "Well, the council has come up with a plan." Li said. 

 

"But you have every right to say no." Mark added quickly looking at Daniel. 

 

Daniel glanced to Dylan. "Why do I feel like I'm not going to like what they are going to say?" 

 

"Lets hear them out" Dylan said with a soft smile. Daniel took a deep breath in and nodded back before looking at the two. 

 

"The council has wanted to bring down the ring for years, but have been unable to infiltrate it. They feel like this could be their way of doing it. They think we should use this opportunity to get inside and destroy them from the inside." Li said. 

 

Daniel and Dylan both stiffened. 

 

"By get inside you don't mean...*" Daniel trailed off his hands creating fists at his sides. 

 

"For you to be taken in as a slave, yes. That's what the council had planed." 

 

Daniel could feel his breath catch in his throat. How can they ask him to willingly walk back to Jared? 

 

Dylan slammed a hand down on the table, causing Daniel and others to jump. "No! That's not going to happen. I won't allow you to use my team to be your fish bait." 

 

"That's what I had said, but the council wishes to talk to you both about it. We will be doing everything possible to keep Daniel safe. A lot of it depends on his acting truly." Li said looking to Daniel. 

 

Daniel could feel his body giving minute trembles as his eyes bounced from Li, to Mark, to Dylan and back to Li. It was like his mouth did not want to work, but thankfully Dylan seemed okay with making known his displeasure. 

 

"I don't care if you say he was going to be treated like a king. He is not going to be facing Jared unless there is going to be six feet of dirt in between them." Dylan growled. 

 

"Dylan please we don't like this plan either, but the Eye has a plan." Li asked softly. 

 

"Look, I get that the Eye is seeing this as an opportunity, but surely there has got to be another way?" Merritt said 

 

"Yah, we're not going to be offering Buffy like he's a side of beef to that woman. He's part of our team." Lula said. 

 

"Yah man, what happens if the plan doesn't go right? We could lose Danny. I don't want to take that risk." Jack added. 

 

Daniel could not help, but feel a pulse of warmth shoot through him at hearing his teammates defense.

 

"Is this what Bu Bu wants to talk about?" Dylan asked looking to Li. 

 

"Likely. Mark and I, we were part of the call. They wanted to know if Daniel was healthy enough to pull it off." Li said. 

 

"And you said he was?" Dylan sneered glaring at Mark. 

 

Li stepped in front of the man blocking him from view. "Mark and I told them he was not, but they want to talk to him* themselves." Li growled. 

 

Dylan snarled and stepped closer. 

 

Daniel could not help, but step back, away from the yelling. The trembling in his body was becoming worse as the yelling increased. 

 

He noticed Jack nodding his head towards the door mouthing the word 'go'. Daniel wanted to stay to know what was going to happen, but if he stayed there was a large chance he might have a flashback. 

 

Something he was not wanting the others to see. 

 

He gave a grateful nod before slipping out the door. Merritt and Jack stepping closer to the door to stop anyone from chasing after him until everyone had the chance to cool down. And for him get ahold of his nerves 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> Thanks for all the kudos and comments. I love seeing them. They give me the drive to write so thank you!
> 
> Next chapter will be out around this coming Wednesday I hope. New comments will be answered then also. 
> 
> See you all then.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. 
> 
> Here is chapter 25 and it's a longer one then normal enjoy. 
> 
> Thank you to the wonderful WildRose900 for being my beta. 
> 
> None of the NYSM cast are mine.

Chapter 25

 

 

Daniel walked fast through the hallways, not knowing where he should go to. Finding his way into a small library of sorts he slumped down into one of the chairs. 

 

Putting his head in his hands he gave a soft groan. It was such a great morning too. 

 

"Hey you okay?" A voice said in front of him. 

 

Looking up he saw the man from the vault standing in front of him. 

 

"Peachy" Daniel grumbled looking at the man. 

 

"Ah, I assume you heard the Eyes plan?" The man said. 

 

"You know what they say about assuming mister..." Daniel trailed off unsure about the mans name. 

 

"Allen, and why yes I do, but since we know you are a big enough ass for both of us it leaves it a moot point does it not?" Allen replied sitting down across from him. 

 

"Oh great, a true fan" Daniel groused.

 

The man chuckled. "Tales of your arrogant, jackass behavior is quite well-known throughout the Eye. On that note though I applaud your willingness to take a hit when I threw you that curveball at the vault." 

 

"You mean that thing with Lula was a joke?" Daniel sputtered. 

 

"Yes it was supposed to be a male doctor and a different female that goes with Pike everywhere." Allen said with a grin. "I wanted to see for myself if you were going to be willing to put your mission ahead of your arrogance and I'm happy to see that you did." 

 

Internally he let that little puzzle that had been bugging him to rest realizing that he did not mess up like he was led to believe. "You know because of that stunt I am forever going to be blessed with the name Buffy right? Thank you, thanks a lot" 

 

"You're welcome. So, what do you think of the plan the Eye has come up with?" Allen said leaning back in his chair. 

 

Daniel glared not feeling very friendly with the man that seemed to take pleasure out of his humiliation."Why do you want to know? Want to bring me down a few more pegs? Want to tease me about being a slave?"

 

The man sighed "That was not my intention Mister Atlas. I want to know because I would be the person bringing you in." 

 

Daniel felt his heart beat harder as he pushed back a bit in the chair away from Allen. "What?" 

 

"I would be the one to bring you to the ring. I'm trained in a lot of undercover work. I will be the one helping you survive while you are in their hands." Allen said. 

 

"And what makes me believe you won't force me to do something humiliating just to see if I would bend to your wishes?" Daniel shot back. 

 

"Trust me, if you are my charge I would not be so cruel to do that to you. Besides, I think Dylan would kill me if I did." Allen said with a sniff. 

 

Daniel eyed him for a bit before looking away. "I don't like the plan. Everything with Jared. It's too painful. I don't know if I can put myself into that position again." 

 

"Even if it means protecting your team?" Allen asked. "Dylan?"

 

Daniel gaze shot back to Allen "What do you mean?" 

 

Allen sighed "The council did not want you to know, but we have revived a message from the Huntress. She knows that we are hiding you, but as far as we are aware she does not have a clue where. She wrote that if you come to her quietly the bounty will be called off and your team free to do what it wants. Otherwise she is not afraid of sending her goons to get you." 

 

"Why does she want me so badly?" He asked softly. 

 

Allen pulled a file out of his coat holding it out to Daniel. 

 

"Is this another thing the Eye does not want me to have?" Daniel muttered. 

 

"Not really, in it hold everything we know about the Huntress, her past plans, her slaves, her business." Allen said giving it a light wave for Daniel to grab it. 

 

Daniel sighed as he grabbed the file opening it up. The first page was a picture of who Daniel figured must be the huntress. She was pretty, but nothing out of the ordinary. Flipping to the next page he saw what looked to be fuzzy pictures of different guys.

 

Looking closer he realized that they all had collars and were in submissive poses. He could also see how similar they looked to each. The next page had what he thought was his picture. Reading the notes he realized that it was not his, but one of the slaves. Looking back at the photo he could agree that he looked very similar to this other person. 

 

The following page was the same with a different man and it was the same after that. In the back of the file held some notes about the ring and last known location. On the last pages was pictures of men, woman, and child that have been taken by the ring. He flipped it shut not wanting to see the faces anymore. 

 

He sighed, dropping the file on the nearby table, looking up to Allen. "Well, you are right, she has a type." 

 

"She does." Allen agreed. "She wants you in the worse way." 

 

"Why, isn't the what, five men she has under her control enough?" Daniel grumbled. He did feel sorry for the other men that were with her, but was it enough to let himself become like them? After he worked hard to keep himself from becoming like them. 

 

"We think she is trying to replace someone. She goes through her slaves like there is no tomorrow. If they displease her in any way they almost always find themselves at the bottom of the ocean." Allen said. 

 

Daniel could not help, but shake his head. "So, not only does the Eye want me to humiliate and let myself be tortured, but they also want me to sacrifice myself? All to bring her down? How in any world does that seem right?" He said standing up. He did not want to listen anymore. Hasn't he done enough with Jared? What happen to helping him?

 

"We will not let that happen Atlas, my team and I will be right beside you and if anything happens we will get you out." Allen said looking up to Daniel. 

 

"What about my team? They want to get rid of this threat just as bad." Daniel said. 

 

"Your team while good at infiltrating and on the stage, will be too noticeable to be much use. Everyone knows their faces. It would be best to keep them away from this." Allen said. 

 

"Like hell that is going to happen" Dylan growled from the doorway. 

 

Daniel could not help the jump from the sudden noise. Looking over his shoulder he watched as Dylan came closer putting himself in between Allen and Daniel. 

 

"If Danny is considering doing this it will be with his team behind him and no one else." Dylan said. 

 

"You will get him killed" Allen replied standing up. 

 

Daniel decided he was done with this fighting about his future and not letting him deal with it. Carefully he placed a hand on Dylan's shoulder bringing his attention to him. "Dylan calm down please?" He said quietly. 

 

Dylan turned to look at him before releasing a puff of air. "Sorry" he said softly. 

 

Daniel nodded before looking to Allen. "Look we are not doing anything right now, let me and Dylan talk to the Eye. Maybe we will get something worked out." Daniel said. 

 

The man just shrugged "Your choice" he said before leaving the room. 

 

Daniel sighed sitting back down, today was definitely not going as well as it had started. 

 

Dylan took the other chair. "Danny?" 

 

"Am I a coward for not wanting to go through this plan? That it scares me" Daniel asked pulling the file closer. 

 

"No, Danny, no. What they want you to do, it's not an easy job for someone trained for undercover work, let alone a civilian." Dylan said reaching over to grab at Daniel hand. "Feeling fear is normal"

 

Daniel grabbed hold of the hand, looking at the file before flipping it open. 

 

"They could be like my twins" he muttered looking at the photos of the Huntresses personal slaves. 

 

"Danny don't torture yourself with this. It's not your fault." Dylan pleaded. 

 

"But it is my problem. Look at them. If I didn't know better I would swear they were related to me." Daniel said pointing to one of the people before sighing. "I thought I was freeing myself from Jared, but now it seems like I went from the frying pan and into the fire." 

 

Dylan moved to kneel in front of Daniel, "You did nothing Danny, you are innocent of all this. The only ones to blame are those in the ring looking for power and the ability to hurt someone and the huntress for making this a problem." 

 

Daniel looked at him before looking at the file. "Still" he mumbled flipping the page to the people that have been taken. 

 

"Come with me to talk to Bu Bu, hear what she and the council have talked about. You don't need to make a decision right now." 

 

Daniel nodded still looking at the file. His mind trying to come up with ideas or solutions to this new problem. 

 

"What do you think the stance of the FBI and other agencies have on this?" He asked looking up. 

 

Dylan sighed "Well, as far as I was aware, the FBI have and any other American organizations have been gunning after her for years, but no headway. I think if she and the ring does get brought down with us there they would likely look the other way as we escaped." 

 

"What about other police organizations?" Daniel asked thinking about Dylan's Interpol agent. 

 

Dylan took Daniel hand pulling him upward to stand. "They would likely be willing to do the same. Really for the most part it's only the American FBI that have a problem with us. For mocking them, me being a part of them and whatnot." 

 

"I see" Daniel said running over a couple more ideas. If they do bust this ring, they were going to need some serious backup to help. 

 

"You have already decided haven't you?" Dylan asked softly. 

 

Daniel looked up from where he was staring, but not seeing at the file. A picture of two young kids smiling to the camera. 

 

"I don't want to, in fact every cell in my body is telling me to go hide in fear, but I can't. I can't let kids keep getting hurt because of my cowardice." Daniel said looking up to Dylan. 

 

\-------..........

 

Dylan looked at the man who was openly showing all his fear and worry on his face. So, different from all the time ago at the Octa show where the man was almost like a brick wall. 

 

He gathered Danny up into his arms holding him close. 

 

"I would never call you a coward if you decided to keep low. You are so strong and I would back you whatever you decide." Dylan said. Pulling back a bit "If this is what you want to do, I will do everything in my power to keep you as safe as possible. I hope you know that."

 

Danny gave him a small smile tucking his face back into Dylan neck. "I don't know what I did to deserve you. Thank you" he said softly. 

 

"I think I should be asking that question" Dylan said "Come on I asked Li to call up a meeting, let's see about this plan the Eye has come up with and go from there."

 

They walked hand in hand into the meeting room that Li and Mark had mentioned to Dylan before he went searching for Danny. 

 

Stepping inside they found Li and Mark standing side by side looking at a computer screen. Bu Bu was standing at a circular table looking at what appeared to be plans. Allen was in the room also sitting off to the side along with a few people neither Dylan or Danny recognized. Merritt, Jack, and Lula were in the room also sitting at the table looking over some papers. Two spots were left open between Jack and Merritt leading them to go sit with them. 

 

Jack pushed a wrapped sandwich at Danny with a raised eyebrow. "Eat" he said simply. 

 

"What?" Danny asked looking at the sandwich then to Jack. 

 

"It's a homemade breakfast sandwich. It's what we had for breakfast, but you left before you could eat anything, and I don't want the rest of the team getting pissed off at me for not giving you a chance to eat" Jack said with a shrug ignoring Lula's comment about not being mad. 

 

Danny looked back at the sandwich before looking to Dylan. "Did you eat?" 

 

Dylan smiled. "Quickly, now eat. You need a bit more meat on your bones" 

 

Danny frowned and shook his head, but Dylan was glad to see him unwrap the sandwich and take a bite. 

 

Bu Bu looked up from the paperwork and gave a small smile to Dylan. "I was hoping to have a bit more time in between visits, but it seems it cannot be helped." She said. 

 

Dylan nodded. He knew his team could use a break. "Well, like they always say no rest for the wicked." Dylan replied. 

 

Li and Mark came and sat down beside Bu Bu. 

 

Another person came into the room. Dylan had wondered who he was and if he was the one of the people from the Eye. 

 

"Hello everyone, my name is Don and I am one of the senior members of the Eye for those that don't know me." He said looking primarily at Dylan and his team. 

 

"Now that we are all here so let's talk. Shrike, I take it you have heard what the Eye is wanting to do. 

 

Dylan replied with a yes feeling a bad vibe come off this new person. The man was not even looking at the team as a whole just at him. 

 

"And their plan?" He asked. 

 

"Yes." Danny muttered lowly off to the side setting the sandwich down. 

 

Dylan could not help, but feel the pain that went through him at hearing the finality in that one utterance. Dylan just hoped that what ever this plan was, that they still will have a showman after it. 

 

Bu Bu looked at Danny, "I understand that this will be difficult for you, but I can say you will be helping hundred of people. Families will get closure and some maybe even be put back together."

 

Danny shrugged looking away. 

 

Dylan could see that Bu Bu was looking from some sign of happiness from Danny about it, but he knew it was not going to happen. 

 

Don rolled his eyes, "Well, anyways the plan that the Eye's council is thus. In a weeks time Atlas will be going for a walk outside. Allen will proceed to kidnap him and keep him for a few days as he tries to get in contact with the Huntress. Once he reaches her he will get location to meet. There we will try to get a bug on the men to see where they lead. Once at the compound mister Atlas will have a month to get as much info as he can. Once a month has passed we will start to work on getting him home. "

 

Dylan did not need to look beside him to know that Danny had gone pale at what was described. Hell he was about to voice his displeasure when Merritt scoffed. Bringing everyone's attention to him. 

 

Merritt leaned forward on Dylan's other side. "As much as I applaud the Eye for its work and skill I have, but one question for you." He waited until everyone was looking at him. "Are you nuts?" He exclaimed. 

 

"You do not like the plan Mister McKinney?" Don asked with a raised eyebrow. 

 

"Like it? Like hello, I think it has more holes than the slice of Swiss cheese I had this morning on my sandwich. There is no way in hell I will nor likely my team will let Danny go into that type of plan." Merritt said looking at the horsemen who were all nodding in agreement. 

 

"That sounds like something out of what not to do." Jack exclaimed. 

 

"Yah, like a really bad B rated movie." Lula added with a nod. 

 

"What part are you having issues with?" Bu Bu asked trying to ease tensions. 

 

"For one how about the fact that you are placing him undercover with no means of back up" Merritt said looking right at Don

 

"We will be putting trackers on the men during the exchange" Don replied looking bored. 

 

Dylan had half a mind to slap the look from his face. He could just see that Danny was twisting his hands under the table a sign of nervousness that the man hated to show. 

 

"And if they find them? Then what? Oh so sad, too bad, we lost him? You cannot be serious right now. And that whole month without contact? Has he not gone through enough alone? Now you are telling him that you are just going to have him go alone with his abusers for a month?" Merritt said. 

 

"Merritt" Danny said softly trying to bring peace. "I'm sure the Eye has thought about this and know what they are doing." 

 

"Yes, listen to your leader McKinney." Don replied. 

 

"No. Danny, I will not let you go through their idiotic plan when we know we can plan better. When I know you can plan better" Merritt said looking at Danny. 

 

Danny looked away from Merritt, but Dylan could see that the man looked relieved. 

 

"If I recall right, mister Atlas led you and your team into a trap and grabbed by Walter. Why do you trust his any of his plans over ours" Don said. 

 

Dylan saw Danny flinched at the mention, but could also see that the man was getting ready to explode same as the rest. 

 

"For one, even with those issues he was still looking out for us. You guys left us with nothing to go on, but some faint ideas. Two, his plans are set for any scenario. I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust you turd buckets." Merritt growled. 

 

Dylan knew as the Horsemen's leader he should be working on calming down his team, but really he did not want to. Merritt was right in his attack. If Merritt was not taking lead on this, he was sure, that himself, Jack, and Lula would have much more colorful language to say. 

 

"Shrike contain your man before we kick him out" Don said ignoring Merritt. 

 

Dylan looked to don before standing up also. "Merritt" he started looking at Merritt. He could see Merritt clench his jaw expecting* to be punished. "You are right, we have no reason to trust the Eye with this." He said relieving Merritt of those thoughts. 

 

Dylan then looked over to don "Don't you ever treat my team like they are beneath you. Merritt, Daniel, Jack, and Lula deserve better than that." 

 

"Some leash you have on them" Don said with a sneer. 

 

"I don't need a leash to control them. They listen to me and to each other due to respect which they all have earned. If you say one more word about it I will gladly go over and wipe that smug look off your face" Dylan said lowly. 

 

There was silence as the two glared at each other. 

 

"What is your plan Merritt?" Bu Bu asked trying to switch back to the main issue. 

 

Dylan looked to her, then to his team. His eyes picking up the signs of worry they had glancing at Danny. Danny himself was like a statue. No movement could be seen as he looked down at his lap. 

 

Merritt looked to Dylan who gave him a nod to continue as he sat down. He placed a hand on Danny's thigh who quickly grabbed the hand and squeezed it tight. Dylan worried that Danny might be having a panic attack with all the tension in the air when Danny looked up and gave him and Merritt a tight smile. 

 

"Well, first off, by having Danny here kidnapped they are going to suspect that we are going to come after him. So, they will be working hard to cover tracks." Merritt said looking back to Don and Bu Bu. 

 

"You're right. We should let it be known that Danny got in a fight with us? Maybe even better. A fight with Dylan. Make it sound like they never want to deal with each other again." Lula said with a nod breaking the tension even more. "This way they might mess up more if they get him under the presumption that we are not going to be looking for him."

 

"Right, my thoughts exactly. I say we should wait even longer then a week. Give it two, maybe three. Keep it quiet then somehow get word to ol' Huntress of a huge fight between Danny and us." Merritt said looking at the rest of his team. 

 

Dylan gave a small nod of gratitude for both the extra time and a better reason. They were magicians they needed to sell this case not just offer it. 

 

"I'd rather go with Merritt's idea. It give us more time to get everything ready." Mark said. 

 

"I agree" Li said adding his support. 

 

Dylan was happy to see that they truly were trying to look out for Danny after Danny had left due to their shouting. It was nice to see their support. 

 

"Alright, the idea is sound. We will go with it to start. But that does not answer your worries that you had mentioned before. About the tracking device" Bu Bu said steepling her fingers on top of the desk. 

 

"A tracking implant" Danny said softly looking up. 

 

Everyone looked to him. Even Dylan was slightly surprised as it seemed that Danny was just going to let them sort this out. But he was happy that Danny was going to add his comments into the discussion. 

 

"And just how are we going to implant the people that will collect you?" Don said with a sneer. 

 

"Not them, me" Danny replied looking to Dylan. "Wherever this Gabriella has set up shop I am the only certain person that will be going there too. We can't trust that they will switch guards on me or if we even get the tracking chips on them. But we can trust that I will be there. So, you implant me. That way you know where I am wherever I go." 

 

Dylan nodded. It made sense and he would feel relieved if they had constant awareness of where Danny was. 

 

"I second Danny's idea" Dylan said. 

 

"Me too," Bu Bu said. "We can't have them escape due to looking our tracking beacon."

 

"We can also have it monitor his stats too" Mark said sitting forward. "It's new tech, but something that a few have been talking about. It can track his stress hormones, his blood sugar levels. If any drug has been put in him. Even his vitals. We can have a constant knowledge of his stats. That way if something does happen we can go in sooner to help". 

 

"I like it" Dylan said with a nod. It wasn't the best way of knowing what was happening, but it's better than having nothing. 

 

Danny nodded reluctantly, Dylan figured it was feeling a bit too intimate for the showman, but he will do it still. 

 

Everyone else gave their nod or words of agreement. 

 

After that the meeting progressed somewhat more smoothly. Dylan was relieved to see Don sitting back and watching as the team did what it's best at and planned. Allen's team even gave a few more ideas about how it was all going to work. 

 

Dylan was also relieved that Danny was inserting himself into the conversation and helping make the plans. He hated how silent Danny had become about all this, worrying that Danny had back tracked into thinking that his ideas didn't matter anymore with the huge threat hanging over him. When instead he was the star of this little production. 

 

They worked on the plans until lunch in which case Mark put a hold to the meeting saying that it was enough for today and that tomorrow they can start again. 

 

Dylan could see that Danny was still lightly shaking once out of the room so he led the man back to their area to sit in the entertainment room upstairs while Lula worked on lunch. 

 

Dylan sat down on the couch and Danny curled up beside him turning on the tv. 

 

"Danny" Dylan started, but Danny shook his head. 

 

"Not now, we can talk later about everything, but not now. Let's just watch some tv okay?" Danny asked curling up even more tucking his head into Dylan's chest. 

 

"Okay" Dylan replied softly kissing the top of his head holding Danny close before turning his attention to the tv that Danny was controlling. 

 

Danny was still shaking lightly after a couple of minutes causing Dylan to reach to the side and grab a blanket off the arm of the couch before tucking it around them both. 

 

Danny gave a soft sigh, and Dylan could feel the man relax a bit more. They will get through this somehow. 

 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well how was it?
> 
> Thanks to all for the kudos and comments. 
> 
> Next chapter should be out around next Monday 'ish time. 
> 
> Thanks all again.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> So uh yah it's late and there really is no excuse but I just started a new job so it's been a little busy for me. Don't worry I'm not going to stop writing or anything but it might take a little bit longer between chapters as my workplace is getting ready for the winter holidays and how busy it's getting. 
> 
> On the plus side I do have a lot of future chapters of fun and pain worked out so once I get to those parts it will be quicker so yay! All I can say is poor Danny lol. 
> 
> Chapter is beta'd by WildRose900 but all mistakes are mine. 
> 
> And same as the sat 25 chapters I do not own NYSM characters from 1&2

Chapter 26

 

Daniel was letting his mind wonder over everything that was talked about. It almost felt surreal, that it was happening to someone else and not him. 

 

He didn't rouse from being deep in thought until Dylan kissed the top of his head bringing him back to the present. He looked up to see the man looking at him in worry. 

 

He knew the man wanted him to talk about what he was feeling, but how can he tell him how scared he was. He read the news articles, and seen the stories of what happens in human trafficking rings. He knows he could be facing death or worse and that he may never recover from it. Furthermore, he basically volunteered for it. What does that say about him? 

 

And what about the stress it's going to put on Dylan? How can he even stand to be near him knowing that in a few short weeks Daniel will be with other people who want to use him for their nasty perversions? To know that not only does he have to wait to be intimate, not just now because of anything Jared may have spread to him, but even going on longer? What's the point in Dylan even dating him? What could he offer the man when he didn't even have himself to give?

 

"Dylan" Daniel said softly.

 

"Yes?" Dylan replied back just as soft. 

 

Daniel bit his lip looking down at his hands. He had to do the right thing and give Dylan an out. No matter how much it hurt him. 

 

"You don't have to date me if you don't want to" he said so quietly that he was sure Dylan was going to ask him to repeat it. 

 

He could feel Dylan tense a bit before moving so they could be facing each other. 

 

"Why do you say that?" Dylan asked bringing Daniel eyes up to look at him. 

 

"Well, it's not like you can have sex with me now and it's likely it won't be until long after everything is settled. I can't see someone in a normal relationship waiting that long let alone knowing that I will be..." he trailed off looking away. 

 

"Getting raped in that same time frame" Dylan said causing Daniel to flinch harshly. 

 

"Can't rape the willing" he whisper. Because wasn't that what this was? He is willing to put himself into the situation so isn't it more of a betrayal to Dylan than rape? 

 

He could feel Dylan sigh, "If given the choice, without fear of consequences for yourself or for the team, would you still go through with the plan?" 

 

Daniel could not help shaking his head. He wanted to be with Dylan. He didn't want to be a slave or pet to some pervert. He wanted to be with Dylan where he was safe and even loved? 

 

Dylan had said he loved him though Daniel found it hard to believe, but a small part of him wanted to hold onto that thought for as long as possible. 

 

Dylan ran a hand down Daniel's face causing him to look up. "Then you are not betraying me or this relationship okay? Blackmailed sexual contact is still rape. Because that is what is happening. She is blackmailing you to come to her, by threatening the team and yourself. I don't see it as betrayal Danny. I see it as you going out of your way, to help and protect us and possibly hundreds of people." 

 

"But you still have to wait" Daniel replied weakly feeling his emotions run havoc through his mind again. What was with this man and doing this to him?

 

"I would wait a thousand years for you Danny. I love you for you. Not your body, though it's pretty awesome too." Dylan ended with a lighthearted tone. 

 

Daniel ducked his head down, but pushing into Dylan's chest to hold him. He never wanted to let this moment go. "I'm scared." 

 

Dylan brings him close, resting his head on Daniels. "Me too darling, me too." He tells Daniel rocking lightly. 

 

They sat there for a while, just holding each other up until Lula bounced up the stairs. 

 

"Hey! Lunch is ready, Li is also here. Said he had a surprise for you" she told the two of them. 

 

Daniel tucked in closer to Dylan. "I don't want any more bad news" he mumbled. He was so tired of being bombarded with news that needed quick action. 

 

"Oh don't worry it's not bad news, or well I don't think it is. Come on." She said before heading back downstairs if the loud thumps meant anything. 

 

"Come on, let's go see what's happening" Dylan said into Daniels short hair rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. 

 

Daniel felt like melting into Dylan as he did this. It seemed the man was quick in finding one of his weak points. 

 

"Fine, but I'm doing this under protest" he grumbled sitting up. 

 

"How about after we can go check out the library if you are feeling up to it?" Dylan reasoned. 

 

Daniel blinked before grumbling "Are any of my weak points still a secret from you?" 

 

"Oh I'm sure there is one or two of them left for me to uncover" Dylan said with a grin. "Still, don't know your favorite music or food for example." 

 

Daniel shook his head, getting up. "I'm sure you will figure them out sooner or later. Come on, before they send Merritt up to annoy us." 

 

Dylan got up right behind him pulling him into a hug. "Love you still" he whispered into Daniel's ear causing him to lean back and reply. 

 

"Love you too"

 

Daniel took the steps slowly. He really didn't want to deal with anything else Li had for him. He just wanted to curl up under some blankets with Dylan and hide out for the next year, but he knew that was impossible. Stepping off the last step he looked around the kitchen to see Lula setting some things on the table while ordering Jack around. Merritt was sitting at the table reading a newspaper while Li was standing at the door.

 

"Alright what's the surprise this time?" Daniel asked with a sigh.

 

"Look beside you Buffy" Merritt said with a grin not looking up from the paper.

 

Daniel frown, but look to beside the stairs and saw Henley of all people sitting on a chair with a smug look on her face.

 

"Henley!" Daniel could not help rubbing his eyes thinking he was seeing things.

 

"Buffy is it?" she said with a grin getting up and taking the few steps in between to hug Daniel.

 

Daniel could not believe it. Henley was here. She was standing right in front of him. His oldest friend and favorite ex. It was surreal. He held her close unsure what to think.

 

"I think you broke him Henley" Jack said bouncing over.

 

"I think so too. Hello Dylan" she said looking over Daniel shoulder.

 

"Hello Henley, how was the flight?" Dylan asked.

 

"Alright, as soon as Li had contacted me yesterday I got on the first available one. Thankfully I was able to sleep most of it. You guys sure created quite a stir with your performance. Had to go undercover just to avoid all the police. Nice job." She said with a grin.

 

"Thank you, though a lot of it was Daniel's planning." Dylan replied.

 

Daniel pulled back and could not help blushing. He only helped a bit.

 

"So, I saw that you two are finally together. tCan I just say finally? How long did it take for this to happen?" She asked looking between the two.

 

Daniel could not help flinching, she is going to wonder about the wait "A couple of days before New Years."

 

"Why the wait? I had left about half a year ago?" She asked before sensing the tension that must have been coming off him. "Danny, what happened?"

 

Daniel looked to Dylan then to the rest of the team not wanting to look at Hanley curious gaze.

 

"Danny?" she said trying to pull his attention back to her.

 

"Why don't the two of you talk in the office down here." Dylan said placing a hand on Daniel shoulder.

 

Daniel could not help grabbing the hand and holding it tight. "Can you come too?"

 

Daniel could see Dylan searching his face before giving a short nod. "If you want me to."

 

Daniel nodded and walked in the direction of the den keeping a grip on Dylan's hand.

 

Once the door to the office had closed behind her Henley growled. "Danny Atlas you will tell me what is going on before I pull it out of you"

 

Daniel knew she was trying to cover her worry, but her tone put him on edge and he could not help, but step behind Dylan and ducking his head a bit.

 

"Henley, please calm down. Danny will tell you, but I need you to sit down okay." Dylan said firmly.

 

Henley must have figured that she did something wrong since she did not put up much of a fuss as she sat down looking at Daniel in worry.

 

"Danny" Dylan said turning around.

 

Daniel gave a short nod looking up to Dylan before moving to sit on the couch.

 

He was happy to have Dylan sit beside him. He can do this, Henley will understand.

 

\--------......

 

"Well?" Henley asked looking at the two. 

 

Dylan could feel Danny take a deep breath in, still tense. 

 

"Well, after you left I managed to get myself into a relationship with an abusive asshole who was actually training me to be what I'm presuming to be a sex slave for a high-end trafficking ring mistress." Danny replied calmly. "But I could be wrong and she could just be wanting me as a whipping boy. How are you?" 

 

Dylan sighed, well there was the bluntness that Danny was so good at. Why did it have to come out now? Henley looked like she is going to pass out.

 

"What?" She gasped. 

 

"You heard me" Danny replied with a frown. 

 

He jumped when Dylan poke him with a finger. "Danny" he said softly. 

 

"What? I told her what happened." Danny muttered. 

 

"A bit blunt don't you think?" Dylan replied. 

 

"It's the truth. I thought that's why you wanted her to sit down." Danny replied. 

 

Dylan sighed. He could see Danny trying to pull up walls to push his emotions away and he understood. This was tough for him to be telling this to his closest friend who also happen to be one of his ex's. Being blunt was a defense mechanism to keep people off balanced. 

 

Dylan wrapped an arm around the man shoulders and pulled him close before looking at Henley. 

 

"Sex slave? Mistress? Trafficking ring? Danny, are you messing with me?" Henley asked looking like she was silently pleading that he was. 

 

Dylan figured maybe he should step in just to make sure the two would not devolve into fighting. 

 

"As much as we can all wish for that, he's not. Danny caught the gaze of a very dangerous woman who is willing to go to some great lengths to have him under her control. The Eye has been wonderful in allowing us to hide here while we come up with a plan to bring her and the ring she runs down. Part of the reason we had you come was to keep you away from her so she could not use you as a bargaining chip." Dylan said taking lead. 

 

Henley brought her hands to cover her face rubbing at her eyes before looking at Danny. 

 

"I leave and you get yourself a person who does not know the answer no. Why did you not tell me sooner? How long after I left did this all happen?" 

 

Dylan watched as Danny bit his lip and looked down. "I met Jared the night you left." Seeing Henley face getting more upset he added quickly. "He started out great, but it was all just a ploy, before I knew it he had me so turned around about some things and of course my ego didn't want anyone to know that I got myself into such a mess."

 

Henley gave a loud sigh before getting up. 

 

Dylan could feel Danny tense and lean a bit more into Dylan's side as Henley walked over and sat down beside the showman. 

 

"You idiot" she said softly before pulling him into a hug. 

 

Dylan watched as Danny went still. Looking at Henley who was still hugging him. 

 

"You're not mad" Danny asked softly. 

 

Henley pulled away looking at Danny with resolution in her eyes. "Yes, but not at you. Now tell me this plan and what can I help with?" 

 

Dylan could not help smiling. He knew he could count of Henley to be there for Danny even with their past they will always care for each other deeply. 

 

"Well, that's a bit more difficult to explain" Danny replied pushing further into Dylan and out of Henley arms. 

 

Dylan understood Danny's hesitation. This was not going to be an easy conversation. How do you tell your best friend you are going to let yourself be taken to the person holding a bounty on your head?

 

"Does it have anything to do with what happened New Years?" Henley asked. 

 

"No, that was a different person kidnapping us for a minor thing" Danny replied. 

 

"I leave and you get yourself kidnapped by one person and a bounty placed on your head from another. Tell me how is this taking care of my team Dylan?" Henley asked sweetly looking at Dylan. 

 

Dylan winced and was about to answer when Danny sat up. 

 

"It's not his fault Henley. I got us in both of these messes. Dylan has been amazing. I'm the one that screwed everything up."

 

Henley looked to Danny before shaking her head. "You blame yourself far to easily Danny." She then looked to Dylan. "Can I talk to him alone please?" 

 

Dylan knew the two needed some time to talk. He looked to Danny who gave him a hesitant nod squeezing his hand before letting go. Danny would be safe with Henley he just wished his heart would understand that. 

 

Dylan gave him a kiss to Danny's forehead. "I'll be in the kitchen moi amore. Not leaving" he whispered before giving a kiss to Danny's lips and getting up. He could not help the small burst of smugness at seeing Danny's slightly red face or Henley amused one. 

 

He gave a short look to Henley, "Lunch is done and he needs to eat. Don't take to long." 

 

Henley raised an eyebrow, but gave a small nod. 

 

Dylan gave a nod back before leaving the room. Not without giving one last look to Danny who was watching him with a faint smile. 

 

Shutting the door softly behind him he went back into the kitchen to see Li and now Mark sitting at the table eating with the rest of the team. 

 

Lula seemed to have made some different types of sandwiches for lunch that were all spread out on the table. Dylan sat down, taking one of the sandwiches that looked like a ham and swiss from what he could tell. 

 

"So, did Buffy like the surprise?" Merritt asked. 

 

"I think so," Dylan replied looking in the direction of the office. Danny had not come out running yet. He would be fine. Henley wouldn't hurt him. 

 

"Dylan, got a question for you to think about" Mark said. 

 

Dylan looked over to the man. "About what?" 

 

Mark looked to the team who were all looking interested in hearing what he had to say. "About convincing you and your team to take some therapy." 

 

The room burst into exclamations of why's, and what's from the team. 

 

Mark waited for the room to calm down a bit before answering. "Well, this situation we are in. It's not an easy one. For any of you really. I want to make sure you are all coping with this in a way that you don't self-destruct." 

 

"We are!" Lula said. 

 

"Are you? You and the rest of you just found out that a close friend has been getting raped for the last couple of months and now has agreed to go undercover in a human trafficking ring. You might think your fine, but I'm thinking it's because you have not yet come to terms what's going to happen. Daniel is going to need strong people around him for this and I can't have you taking your misplaced anger and worry and projecting it onto him. " Mark said calmly. 

 

"We are not going to be angry at Danny" Jack muttered. 

 

"Not now, but what happens after this thing is said and done and Daniel is having panic attacks or freaking out about little things? If he can't stand to be near people or if he has new little tics that become annoying to you? Can you handle that and not get mad at him? If he gets over controlling or goes the complete opposite and becomes submissive? Can you be strong and take his yelling and screaming and not become mad because why can't he just act like before?" Mark sighed "Right now it's easy to say you won't get upset about the things he might do, but remember back to all the times you have gotten annoyed at him when you thought he was fine."

 

The horsemen seemed to think on this. What Mark said was possible. Many times over the last week Dylan felt at the end of his rope trying to figure out what Danny needed as his emotions bounced from one to the next. Luckily he has been mostly right at guessing Danny's needs or the reasons behind his moods, but what happens if he can't.

 

"Knowing what will happen is going to be a stress to you all. While Daniel is dealing with Gabriella I don't want you guys fighting with each other because you are all feeling guilty about what he is going through. He is going to need you all there for him to help and support him. And that is stressful too. Knowing that this strong individual is going to need you all to hold him up until he can do it himself." Mark said after a bit. 

 

"Your saying this all like Buffy is going to be a weak little kitten during all this. I don't see him wanting us to treat him with kid gloves" Merritt said. 

 

"Your right, but they are likely going to do their best to make his time with Jared look like a walk in the park. I want you all to be ready for anything. There are very few people who deal with going from an abusive relationship to going undercover into another. It's stressful and I want you all to come out of it strong. If he fights getting help from a professional then I need you guys to be able to step up and be that for him. These people can help teach you how to deal with some of the more troubling issues you may face." 

 

Dylan considered it to be a good idea, but seeing unsure faces around him said "Why don't you have a few of them come here? This way it gives us some time to think about it, and I'll talk to Danny." 

 

"That will suffice" Mark replied giving them all a smile. He gathered up his dishes and Li's empty ones and placed them in the sink. 

 

"Thank you for lunch, I got to get back to working on the implant" Mark said. 

 

Li got up also. "I have to go too, Allen wants to go over some stuff. Dylan a moment please." Li added. 

 

Dylan nodded and got up. He walked Li to the door and stepped outside shutting the door lightly. 

 

"How are you feeling with all of this?" Li asked. 

 

"About what?" Dylan asked being purposely obtuse about what Li was asking. There were so many things the man could have asking about and Dylan didn't want to give info away if he didn't have to. 

 

"About Daniel's choice today?" Li said 

 

Dylan nodded. "It's not my place to stop Danny from doing what he feels he has to do. I'm worried, but I know it's not going to help anything so I'm going to plan and work hard to make sure Danny gets through without suffering too much for it." 

 

Li gave an understanding nod "I get that. And if you need anyone to talk to..." he trailed off. 

 

"Thanks" Dylan said was a small smile. "Well, if that's everything I have a team that needs some calming after what Mark just* said."

 

"Yah, he dumped some hard to take news on you guys. But I think it will help them if that means anything to you." Li said. 

 

Dylan nodded before opening the door. "I think it will help them too, but they have to decide it for themselves. Thanks for getting Henley here. I'm sure Danny is happier knowing she is safe now." 

 

"It was no problem. Also, tell your team that everything they asked for is in. It's sitting in the office that leads to the stage down below. " Li said before walking away. 

 

Dylan shook his head before heading back into the kitchen. 

 

The room was silent as Dylan shut the door and sat back down at the table. 

 

"So, therapy" Lula muttered looking at the table. 

 

"I think it would be a good idea. I mean this last bit has been hard on all of us." Dylan said looking at the others. 

 

"I don't see Daniel going for it" Merritt said looking at Dylan. 

 

"I don't either, but if there is a way to help him I'm going to go for it." Dylan said. 

 

"It's not like we have to talk about our own issues" Jack added. 

 

"I think it's to talk about anything that is bothering you. Be it your own past or someone else's." Dylan replied. 

 

"My parents tried to get me to go to therapy after the fight. I learned that I hate talking about my problems." Lula grumbled. 

 

"I've had to deal with a few counselors in the FBI, most want to help." Dylan said. 

 

The room was silent for a while as they all thought about it. 

 

"I guess it can't hurt" Merritt said looking up to the others. 

 

"What can't hurt?" Danny asked coming into the room sitting beside Dylan and stealing half of his sandwich. Henley followed moving to sit beside Merritt taking a sandwich for herself. 

 

"Talking to a therapist about what's all going on" Dylan said softly watching Danny's face to judge his reactions. 

 

Danny took a bite out of the sandwich giving a nod. "I'm sure it would be a good idea. I mean this is not going to be a normal Magic act. And after being threatened with Walters goons I'm sure it could help." He replied once he swallowed. 

 

"Does that mean you are going to talk to one also?" Lula asked. 

 

Danny looked to Dylan then to Henley before shrugging. "We will see." He said softly. 

 

Silence came over the group as they finished eating, all lost in thought. 

 

"So, how long is the beautiful Miss Reeves going to be staying with us?" Merritt said with a leer. 

 

"Well, I'm not doing much at the moment. So, if it's okay I'll stick around with you guys for a bit. The Eye wants me to go checking around in a couple different servers for some other teams, but I can do that anywhere." She replied. 

 

"I'm okay about that" Jack said with a grin looking at Henley. 

 

Dylan could see Lula looking a bit worried at Henley and hoped problems were not going to pop up because of this. He didn't want to have to choose between the two if a fight broke out. 

 

"Hey, we are still checking out that library right?" Danny asked pulling Dylan's attention to the man beside him. 

 

"Yep, have you finished eating?" Dylan asked. 

 

"Yah," Danny said showing his empty plate "oh, damn it, I need to see what we have for supper. Merritt have you checked what we have in here?" Danny asked looking at Merritt. 

 

"Not yet" Merritt replied with a shrug. 

 

"Give me a minute" Danny said looking back at Dylan before heading over, checking the pantry and fridge. 

 

"How about shepherd pie?" He said looking at the table.

 

Everyone gave their approval of the food. Henley's was the most vocal of all of them causing Dylan to wonder if she has tried Danny's cooking before.

 

Merritt though was looking a little concerned. 

 

"You sure we can make it?" He asked. 

 

"I pretty sure we can. Don't worry you will not be in charge of the oven." Danny replied with a small grin. 

 

"I'll do dishes" Henley said getting up and grabbing the empty plates from the table passing by Danny to the sink. 

 

Dylan watched as she stopped and whispered something to the showman who shook his head. She looked to Dylan before saying something else to Danny leaving him to go red at whatever she said. 

 

Danny made his way to Dylan before grabbing his hand and pulling him up and out of the room. They could both hear Henley laughing as the door shut. 

 

"Nosy escapist" Danny muttered seeing Dylan's amused face. 

 

"What did she tell you?" Dylan asked. 

 

"Nothing" Danny grumbled before turning and walking to the library. 

 

Dylan shook his head, but followed the man. He was sure Danny will tell him sooner or later. 

 

........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? 
> 
> Alright thanks for sticking around and reading this far into my story. I love the kudos and comments you all leave. I don't think I would have written nearly as much if it was not for them. Granted I still can't believe I have over 100k words written for a story that I thought was going to be around 10k so yah thanks everyone. 
> 
> I'll have comments answered soon and next chapter I'm going to try to have it done before next Tuesday but I make no promises. It will come have no worries about that. 
> 
> See you all later. 
> 
> Jade


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Here is chapter 27. I had a few issues with how I had wrote it before requiring a rewrite of a part of it but now WildRose900 and I are much happier with this new chapter. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it. 
> 
> NYSM cast do not belong to me.

Chapter 27

 

Daniel browsed through the books on one of the shelves in the library setting the couple he found off to the side in the ever-growing pile of books. He could not help, but notice all of them had something to do about deceiving people into thinking something else causing him to sigh as he looked at the last one he set on the pile. 

 

"You alright?" Dylan asked coming up beside the man with his own pile of books in his hands. 

 

"Yah," Daniel said giving the man a smile. Of course, Dylan loved to read books. 

 

"So, did you and Henley have a good talk after I left?" Dylan asked setting his books down at one of tables. 

 

Danny thought back to what Henley and he had talked about. 

 

\----earlier after Dylan left the office----

 

"I see he is a bit possessive of you. How quaint you got yourself a caveman" Henley said with a grin causing Daniel to blush even harder. 

 

"Shut up" he grumbled. 

 

"So, how far have you guys gotten?" Henley asked with a grin. 

 

"I don't think that's any of your concern." Daniel could not help, but screech a bit. It was bad enough with Lula and Merritt. But now Henley was interested in their sex life. What was with this team?

 

"I need to know if I have to hide a body" Henley replied. 

 

Daniel actually felt offended by that. "I'm not a blushing virgin. You, out of everyone, should know that." 

 

Henley waved her hand at that. "Ah, but I want to make sure he is being good to you" 

 

Daniel rolled his eyes. "You know what?* No. Just take it that Dylan is and leave it alone." 

 

"Come on Danny, details, details" she said getting closer to him. 

 

Daniel got up and moved away from the couch watching her wearily. "No Henley, I said no. Leave it alone."

 

Henley eyed him then looked at the distance he put in between them, to Daniel and finally back to the couch. 

 

"I'm sorry." She said softly sitting back in the couch. 

 

Daniel sighed rubbing a hand through his short hair. "I'm sorry too." He said softly. "Dylan's good. Really good. He loves me. After everything he loves me." Looking over at her, "Knowing what I volunteered to do he still loves me. You don't have to worry about him at all. "

 

"What did you volunteer for?" Henley asked. 

 

Daniel winced, "Now don't get mad. It's the only way we can bring down the ring. Dylan and the rest had no say in my choosing of this." He said raising his hands up. 

 

"Danny?" Henley said getting up looking concerned. 

 

"I volunteered to be taken to the Huntress so that we can find out where her hidden compound is and bring her down from the inside." Daniel said quickly. 

 

"Be taken? You mean you volunteered to be a slave? J. Daniel Atlas are you out of your mind!?*" She screeched. 

 

Daniel winced and backed away further. "I'm going undercover, it will only be for a month or so. It's an act. Like how Dylan was undercover as a FBI agent." He tried to reason. 

 

"Dylan was undercover as a human citizen he didn't get beaten or worse for the pleasure of his higher-ups like what you're volunteering for. This is nothing like Dylan's case Danny." Henley said. 

 

"He was undercover for years I'm only going to be a month or so" Daniel replied. 

 

"That still does not change anything, you could die or get seriously injured. Surely Dylan doesn't want you to go through this?" Henley asked. 

 

"No, he doesn't, but he respects that it's my choice" Daniel replied softly. 

 

Henley looked at Daniel before giving a nod. "Fine. What do you want me to do?" 

 

Daniel smiled, "Find a way to crack the rings computers. Being so big there has to be some of it getting online. Otherwise how do they do business? Talk to Li he's coordinating a lot of the small stuff." 

 

"Okay, what are you doing to get ready for this?" Henley asked. 

 

"Still, working on that one" Daniel muttered softly. He had no idea how to get ready for this. How do you even get ready for going undercover for a human trafficking ring? 

 

Henley nodded. "Well, I'm always here if you need to talk. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sticking around for a while now so it'll be just like old times." 

 

Daniel grinned, "Great, I'm sure Merritt will like that." 

 

"What do you mean by that Danny?" Henley asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 

Daniel gave a quick raise of his eyebrows before turning to the door to leave. Honestly it's not like Merritt had been discreet in his affections for the red-head. 

 

"Danny?" Henley asked following after the man. 

 

\------back to present-------

 

Daniel gave a nod, "Yah, we did." 

 

"That's good. So, find anything interesting?" Dylan asked looking at the books. 

 

Daniel sighed looking at the books. While they all had something to do with deception he did not think it was going to help. 

 

"How did you prepare to go undercover?" Daniel asked leaning against the table looking at Dylan. "For the FBI I mean."

 

Dylan blinked, "I studied it, I looked up info, stats. I trained so I could pass the training that all FBI agents go through. I made sure that my skills reflected where I wanted to be so I did not get placed somewhere else. Why?" 

 

"Just wondering" Daniel replied. Not that it really helped him. Henley was right. Dylan was seen as a human going into his undercover assignment. He does not get that luxury. He will be seen as a possession, a thing to be owned. 

 

Dylan frowned before his eyes widen with a look of understanding. "Ah, Well, for your case a lot of it is coming to an understanding about why you're doing it and mentally preparing for what is going to happen." 

 

Daniel sighed looking at the books he gathered. "But, what about stuff I can practice now? There has to be something." 

 

Dylan sighed causing Daniel to look back to him. The man had a thinking look on his face.

 

"There is something? Isn't there?" Daniel asked when Dylan did not reply. 

 

"There is, but I don't know how relevant it would be." Dylan replied pulling out his phone. He tapped out something before handing the phone over to Daniel. 

 

The phones web browser was open to show people in colorful clothes in all sorts of impossible positions. "One of the things people like the Huntress like to do it to hurt the people they think they own. A lot of times it is to put them into stress positions. Treat them like furniture or make them into a table center piece. I guess it's their way of power tripping by showing others what they can do to their slaves or trying to break the person by literally objectifying them and making them not humans in their eyes. It's highly possible that you are going to be going to have you be put into positions that are meant to hurt right? So, I'm wondering what is the chance of being able to learn how to relax your body. Stretches and movement that can minimize the pain." 

 

Daniel frown, "I get that, but contortionists? I think I'm little old to do that. Don't they start working on some of those move during childhood?" 

 

"The ones that perform on stage yes, but people can learn how to move their bodies into all sorts of positions if they put the practice into it. Escape artists use a lot of their skills too and they learn some of the skills later on in life. It would be like extreme yoga in a way." Dylan replied. 

 

"So, what? I would be working on flexibility and being able to hold positions for a long time?" Daniel asked looking through the photos. "Get shoved in a box?" He said looking at one photo that was kinda alarming with how tight the person was squeezed into a suitcase. 

 

Dylan shrugged, "Look we both know that the people after you are not going to go easy. It is likely they will string you up to leave you or beat you. If you know how to relax your body in different positions then maybe it won't hurt as bad and you can recover quicker or even fake the pain? I don't know it was just an idea." Dylan rubbed his forehead looking down. 

 

Daniel looked over to the window. How many times did Jared tie him up in painful positions and leave him to suffer? He never thought that there would be ways to negate the pain. He just thought he would have to suffer through it. But if it's something he can train for well that's different. 

 

"Alright" Daniel said with a nod looking up to Dylan. "It makes sense, after all I have been through a bit of it already. I'll do it, so what do you need, books? What? Also, they will likely tie me into some of the positions since I won't go easy for them. Otherwise they might think something is wrong if I don't try to escape at least once." 

 

Dylan closed his eyes clenching his fist. "Jared?"

 

Daniel sighed, coming closer to Dylan. "Yah, Jared would tie me up, he would wrench my shoulders back and hang me by my arms. I was always scared that he was going to do damage that I would never recover from. That I would lose my hands because my arms would hurt for days after and he would just laugh as I squirm in pain. Hell, I'm pretty sure he dislocated my left shoulder a time or two and had one of his buddies pop it back in. I never thought there was a way to make it hurt less because he was so good at hurting me. Who's to say the Huntress won't do the same?" he breathed.

 

"But if there's something that will help me deal with what I'm going to be facing then it make sense in learning it right? We already talked about going over getting out of ropes and handcuffs. This can just be a part of it right? And hey who knows maybe in the future I can turn it into an act? Where do you think we should practice? Like I said before I don't want to use the stage below." Daniel said passing the phone back over. 

 

"We are also gonna need to bring someone in who knows how and can help you." Dylan said looking at Daniel. 

 

"But I thought you knew rope tricks and all that?" Daniel asked. 

 

"Twisting hands and lower arms out of being held is one thing. But this is a lot more than I've played with. I don't want you to get hurt because of my inexperience not when this is just practice." 

 

"I trust you" Daniel replied simply. After last night and how caring Dylan has been with him he found that it was definitely the truth. He knew Dylan would never hurt him not on purpose. 

 

"Doesn't change anything Danny, we are getting a professional here and maybe even Mark and Henley in on this." Dylan replied firmly. 

 

Daniel shook his head. "No, if something happens then you can call for Mark, but otherwise I don't want everyone gawking at me." 

 

Dylan released a breath of air, looking confused. "You are fine with a stranger watching you, but not Mark and Henley?" 

 

Daniel shook his head. "A stranger who, once done, leaves and I never have to see them again. Li will have an idea, but Henley. She's an escape artist. She will know why I'm doing this and will make a big deal about it. A stranger will just teach me thinking I'm learning a new skill." 

 

Daniel huffed before speaking at a bit lower volume, "And then of course the team will find out because Henley is kinda obvious if she is holding a secret and Merritt will find out and won't leave it alone and then Jack and Lula. They won't leave well enough alone if they figure that there is a secret to ferret out. Then everyone is in on the secret and yah..." Daniel trailed off, picking up a book to fiddle with the edges not looking up at Dylan. 

 

"Danny, they won't be upset about you learning something to help yourself. They might even join us." Dylan said reaching out and stopping Daniel frantic fingers on the book. 

 

Daniel shook his head still looking at the hand on top of his own. His fingers twitching under Dylan's hand as they tried to fidget. "I feel like it's admitting that I'm to weak to do this on my own. I got into this problem on my own. I don't want them to think I can't get out of it on my own." Daniel sighed flipping his hand so he could grab at Dylan's hand before looking up and into Dylan's soft brown eyes. "If there is a way to stop the pain, I'm going to go for it. I just don't want everyone to see me fall into any flashbacks. I don't want them to see me weaker than I must already look to them." 

 

Dylan's eyes seemed to flick around taking in his face before giving a rough nod. "You are not weak Danny, and I don't ever think they could see you as such. But if that is what you want I'll see what I can do." 

 

Daniel released a breath of air before letting his head fall forward to rest against Dylan's chest setting the book off to the side before wrapping his arms around Dylan. Dylan held him tightly resting his head on Daniels. 

 

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Daniel trying to stop any tears from falling as he held on tight. 

 

They only broke apart when a cough sound came from across the room causing them to look at over to the doorway. 

 

"Is everything okay?" Jack asked looking at the two in worry. 

 

Daniel pulled away from Dylan giving the man a grateful smile as Dylan placed a hand on his lower back to be an anchor for him to feel. "Yah, what's up?" 

 

Jack looked between the two of them before settling his gaze on Daniel. 

 

"I was wondering if you wanted to try some of that sparring we talked about doing down below? Li has all the mats and stuff so I figured that maybe we should set them up and do a round. See where you are so we can work on improving you in case the Huntress lady decided to make you fight others for food or something?" Jack said with a shrug. 

 

Daniel gave a jerky nod, he never thought of that. "Good idea, let me go see if I have anything more suitable to practice in and I'll meet you at the stairwell to go down?" He said looking at his sweater and slacks. 

 

"Sounds good. Li came back and gave us a tablet with some websites to get clothes and other personal stuff so we don't have to keep using these borrowed clothes. It's all set up so we don't need to worry about paying and delivery will be tomorrow. Lula and Henley have it right now. Merritt and I decided to make a quick escape and see what Li all bought." 

 

"Yah, Henley is scary when it comes to fashion. Hopefully Lula will survive it. I would hate for her to suffer because of Henley's fashion sense" Daniel chuckled. 

 

"Yah, I figured we might go rescue her once everything is put away. Now go, so we can start before you have to make supper." Jack said with a grin before leaving the room. 

 

Daniel shook his head before looking at Dylan. 

 

Dylan gave him a soft smile "Go have fun, I'll come join you after I talk to Li about what we talked about." 

 

Daniel gave him a soft smile leaning up to give him a quick kiss. "Thanks" he said softly before leaving the room. 

 

.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? 
> 
> Next chapter will be between Christmas and New Years for all of your reading pleasure. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are the best gifts and I love every single one of them no matter the season so thank you all for such wonderful words and feelings. I'll be replying as soon as I get a chance to. 
> 
> Thank for reading and have a wonderful holiday everyone,
> 
> Jade


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone   
> Here is the long awaited chapter 28. 
> 
> Thanks to the wonderful beta WildRose900 many mistakes were found and fixed but any still left fall only on my shoulders. 
> 
> I do not own NYSM 1&2

Chapter 28

 

 

Once Daniel had found a set of clothes that would work as workout clothes, he made his way down to the office to find it already empty. Giving a shrug to the empty room he went to the room Jack decided would make a great gym or whatever. 

 

Daniel has only ever done workouts on his own outside of a gym. Hell, the last time he had even was in a gym for fitness purposes was high school. Which was a horrible affair that he never wanted to repeat ever again. So many times he had gotten picked on for being a freak more concerned about magic than climbing a stupid rope by the popular jock. 

 

Stepping into the room he found Jack and Merritt were there already pointing to different things and talking. The mats were all laying out on the ground and to the side were weights and a punching block. Giving a sigh he walked over. 

 

"So, what's the plan?" He asked coming up beside the two. 

 

Jack gave him a grin."Well, I was thinking we would see where you are fitness wise then we can test your sparring ability, maybe see how good you are at getting out of simple holds." 

 

Daniel grimaced, yah this was not going to be fun. 

 

\-----,,,,

 

Dylan stepped into Li's office once the man gave a come in. 

He found Li sitting on a couch going over some papers, his laptop open to another document along with his tablet. 

"You look busy," Dylan said sitting down across from the man. 

"It's never ending. Paperwork to sign off, plans to approve, research to finish. I sometimes wonder if I decided to step up too early." Li grumbled setting some papers off to the side. 

"So, what is your official position in the Eye? I feel like there is a hierarchy in this place, but no one has really said who was what." Dylan asked. 

"My rank is the same as yours now that you got bumped up," Li said with a frown. 

Dylan could not help, but frown at that. "What?"

"Thaddeus bumped you up to take his spot?" Li said before giving a soft groan. "Right, you have no clue. So, technically you and I are the same level. I am watching the magicians in China and Japan, and you're's North America." 

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Dylan asked feeling a little panicked. He was barely just keeping it together with his own little group. There was no way he can keep an eye on all of Northern America magic players. 

Li chuckled, "Don't worry it's not as hard as you think it is. Otherwise, how did Bradley take care of everything in a prison cell? A lot of it is keeping a watch on the different teams and watching the underground. Paperwork like this only comes up when planning a huge act. Since you are already keeping an eye on the underground where you picked up Lula it's just watching the other teams and being caught up with what they are doing. You also have to decide if you're going to be known to them or if you are going to follow Bradley's decision on keeping it separate. Then there is the paperwork." He said with a grimace looking at his desk covered in it. 

Dylan rested his head in his hands. "I don't know if I can do that right now Li. With everything going on with Daniel... How can I even think about other things?" 

Li gave a soft huff. "You think we are going to just drop this on you without support? Thaddeus will take over a month to finish getting everything put together to make the transition easier. And I get that with everything your first priority is your team and Daniel right now. That's why I have been taking care of supplies and dealing with the Eye on your behalf. We won't be letting you go into this unprepared. If anything, that will damage all the work the Eye has done." 

Dylan gave a sigh of relief, at least that is one less thing to worry about in the near future. "So, if you and I are the same level, what is your grandmothers level? Or that Don fellow?" 

Li grinned, giving a light chuckle. "So, grandmother and Don are the same level, one above us. Which made it really amusing to see your team talk back to Don and win. So many teams have wanted to, my old one included, but we never had the chance. For once we had the upper hand in the negotiations and not him." 

"Merritt was fully right. It was a stupid plan" Dylan replied with a grumbled. Honestly, it is amazing that the Eye is the secret it is within the magic community if that's how they treat their members. 

"Yes, but what made it so sweet was Merritt being the one to stand up for your team. In Don's eyes the only ones worth noting was my grandmother and the two of us. Which is why he didn't even spare a glance at your team, all he cares about is rank. Merritt is too low for him to even glare at. You standing up for your man threw him into a tizzy because he is so used to having the people lower than him do what he says." Li said with a grin. "You and your team also had the full support of the room. No one liked the plan, but only you guys were going to vocally and fully stand up against it." 

Dylan rolled his eyes "I don't believe in having yes robots agreeing with everything I say. They stand up for what they believe, even if it might get them killed." He said thinking back to when Lula was telling him about defying Walter right off the bat. The team were all ready to be shot because of their loyalty, but Danny stopped that from happening thankfully. 

"Which is why I can't wait to see how much will change with your leadership, for too many good magicians have suffered from following rank and not being able to voice their concerns. With you on board that should all change." Li said with a nod. 

 

"What will happen to my team with me moving up?" Dylan asked. 

Li tidy up some papers setting them into a different pile. "Well, a couple of things could happen. Many times people have split from their group and passed them to another lead so they don't fear showing favoritism to their old team. They appoint a successor who will lead the team how they want it led. I believe Thaddeus was thinking of you passing it to Daniel." Li said. 

While Dylan completely agreed to pass the leadership down to Danny. He was not a huge fan of leaving his group or handing it to someone else to decide what happens to them. After all, if the Eye was led so strictly by a hierarchy and don't even let their members talk how can he be sure they will thrive?

"What about the other options?" He asked hoping they were better. 

Li gave him a soft smile. "You keep them under your lead and disperse them into the other groups, in essence, breaking them up. Or you request to the higher ups to keep the team together and under your command, but let yourself be under intense scrutiny and knowing that any wrong move can lead them to decide what happens to your group." 

Dylan gave a slow nod. He knew what he wanted, but what did his team wanted? "Can I think about it and get back to you later about my choice?" 

Li smiled "You don't need to make a choice until you officially move up. Right now they are all yours and the higher ups won't and can't break you up. For magician, they really follow their own code." 

Dylan gave a nod in relief, he will talk to his team when he gets the chance. 

"I'm happy to hear that," Dylan replied softly. 

Li nodded before tilting his head. "Now what do you need?" 

Dylan could not help but wince. They have been asking a lot from Li and this was one more thing. And if the paperwork was as bad as he said he wondered how much this would cause. 

"Daniel and I were wondering if you knew anyone nearby that can do contortions acts and escape tricks?" He asked. 

Li blinked looking confused, "Contortionist I can understand, but I thought Miss Reeve was an escape artist?"

Dylan nodded, "She is, but Daniel is afraid of looking weak in front of his team. He wants an outside source to train with that will not fully realize why he is needing this training." 

Li set down a few papers looking straight at Dylan. "Daniel is not weak to be needing help," Li said softly. 

Dylan nodded rubbing a hand through his hair, "I know that but Danny? He's a loner in a sense. Always has been. He's self-taught you know. He learned all his tricks from books and watching others through movies and shows. He was all ready to read some books and try his hand at it, but I told him that this needs to have an expert. He has come so far with the team, but he hates having them see him less then what he makes out to be. Then with everything that he has been dealing with? I don't want to push him when he is already feeling off centered."

Li nodded "I get that." He grabbed a couple of files from a different pile. Going through them quickly before handing a few papers to Dylan. 

Dylan glanced at them and saw that they were character profiles of a few people. 

"You were ready for this?" He asked looking up. 

Li gave a sheepish grin. "Once I heard that you were going to do some training in fitness I thought about it. I went through the list of different acts we have been keeping an eye on. These four were on the top."

Dylan rubbed his head looking at the files. "You had the idea about this since then? I mean it makes sense. I'm sorry. I just wished I thought about that earlier to save you the trouble of constantly disturbing you." 

Li waved him off "Don't worry about it. You were worried about more pressing issues at the time. Now the files I handed you has the files on four contortionists. All of them highly praised in their community. I'll let you look over them. Give me a few minutes to pull up some escape artists too then you can pick. I'm assuming that Daniel does not want them to be seen by the rest of the team so I'll set up another safe house for them to come to where you both can catch a ride over to be trained." 

Dylan gave Li a nod of understanding as he looked through the profiles. Right off the bat, he threw one of the profiles out. The man looked too similar to Jared from what he remembered. What with his dark hair and square jawline. He had a feeling Danny would not feel comfortable working with a person that resembles his attacker. Another profile sounded almost to dominate and forceful that Dylan was sure Danny was going to rebel more than learn. The last two was a hard choice of a man and a woman but he decided to go for the man seeing that he was closer to Danny's size than the other. If anything he should have some good stretches Danny can do to keep flexible.

Li had the other profiles ready handing them over before taking Dylan's choice. 

The escape artists were a harder choice, but he picked a plucky-looking girl that looked like she would be up to dealing with Danny's moods but not be so intimidating that Danny flash-backs. Handing the chosen profile over Li told him they would likely be here in two to three days. 

Dylan gave a nod and word of thanks before getting up to go find his team. 

Walking into the apartment Lula and Henley looked like they were having too much fun picking out fashion and clothes when he quickly went up to his room to get changed into something that would work as fitness wear. 

Hearing the two girls laughing about something made him pop his head around the corner to see what they were talking about. 

They were bent over a tablet pointing out something and talking about color. 

"You two alright?" Dylan asked looking at the tablet. 

"Oh yah, Lula has a wonderful fashion sense. We are looking for clothes for you guys now." Henley said with a grin. 

"Don't go too overboard with it. We want to pick our own clothes too" Dylan warned not sure he wanted to see what they were even looking at now. 

"Don't worry, we won't make you look silly. Henley has the best fashion ideas" Lula said with a grin. 

Dylan was relieved that the two seemed to be getting along, but he could not help feel a slight shiver of fear go up his back at the two grins. These two have the makings to be a very scary team if the identical grins had something to say. 

"Alright, well, I'll just leave you two to it. We will be back in a bit." Dylan said backing out of the room before escaping to where his other horsemen were. 

 

Walking into the room Jack had taken to convert into a small gym he knew something was not right. Music was blasting, Jack and Merritt were off to the side talking lowly looking to another side. 

Looking over he saw Danny sitting on the ground with his back in the corner arms around his legs head tucked down. 

Dylan frowned moving to see what's wrong when he saw Merritt wave his hand. 

Looking back to Jack and Merritt he caught their eye, causing Jack to come towards him giving quick glances to Danny. 

"What happened?" Dylan asked moving towards Jack. His eyes on Danny. 

"A really bad panic attack I think. We were practicing some grabs and how to get out of them. I thought everything was going fine when he became almost frozen murmuring no and sorry. Once Merritt and I realized what happened we stopped and backed away at Danny's request. We went to turn off the music, but he asked us to leave it, it seems to help him. Merritt was about to go get you and Mark while I try to bring him out of it." Jack said softly. He looked over to Danny "I have never seen an attack so bad. Is it because of everything that happened today? The meeting, and the plan?" 

Dylan sighed looking at Jack. "It's possible. He finally had a chance to relax and all of this gets dumped on him. It's not good." Looking back at Danny, seeing the man minutely trembling. He wanted to scream. Hasn't Danny gone through enough?

Danny keeps putting on a brave face saying he can go through with this, but if they go through this will there even be a Danny left at the end? 

"Take Merritt and go up. I'll send a text if I need help." Dylan said before heading to the man sitting on the ground. 

He did not see Jack nod or head over to Merritt and convincing him to leave the room. All Dylan had eyes for was the trembling showman. 

He was slightly happy to see Danny look up to him. Eyes focused and in the present and not in a memory. 

"Hey," Dylan said kneeling down and sitting beside Danny his back against the wall looking at the room listening to the music. It seemed to be a workout mix. 

Danny shifted. "It's not Jack's or Merritt's fault. Everything was going well then we went to practice throws and how to get out of them. I thought I was fine so I said I wanted to try. But a song came on that Jared liked to listened to and I must have flinched or something because Jack held on a little tighter then Merritt said something about beating Jared up, but all I could hear is Jared's laugh and how he will get me. " Danny said looking back down at his arms. "I thought I could handle this, but I'm such a weakling that a stupid song can get to me."

Dylan sighed, "Memories are tricky because they can grab a hold of us and remind us of both the good and the bad. They can be brought on by so many things that we can't stop them. A smell, a sight, a song, a taste. You are not weak because of them." 

Danny just seemed to curl further into a ball. Dylan didn't press for the man to speak. He just sat there quietly letting his gaze move around the room, flicking back once and awhile to the man beside him. 

\-----,,,,,,

Daniel hated this. He hated having these stupid flashbacks and memories pop up causing everyone to treat him with kid gloves. He hated that they had to see him fail over and over again. He hated that Jared still had a hold on him, that it was worse now than it was when he was living with the bastard.

All Jack had done was hold his wrists to show him how to break a hold. He watched Jack and Merritt do it. No sweat, looked easy. But once Jack had his wrists he felt the edges of panic start to come. Then that stupid song that Jared loved to listen to came on and Merritt enthusiastically and loudly talking about beating the man up. It was like a panic switch went on and he was no longer in a room with two friends, but cowering in a corner while Jared ranted and raved about a coworker before taking his anger out on him. 

Now he was sitting on the floor curled up with Dylan sitting beside him listening to the music. How is this helping anything? 

He looked out the corner of his eyes to Dylan. The man looked tired. Like the day has aged him a few years. How was this fair to him? Daniel was sure this was not what the man was thinking about getting into when they had started this relationship, but Dylan did not want to break up even though Daniel said it was okay. That he understood. 

He had to get over this. If not for him then for Dylan. 

Turning to face the man he held out his wrists. "Grab my wrists," he said seeing Dylan's confused face. 

Dylan grabbed them gently which on one hand was sweet, but not what Daniel wanted. 

"Tighter, like I'm a criminal trying to get away," Dylan said jiggling them. 

Dylan tightened his grip a bit causing Daniel to roll his eyes at the man. Dylan sighed but held on tighter still. 

Daniel let himself breath as he gave little jerks and movements to his hands he could not remember what Jack had done to get out. The panic was starting to build when he found that Dylan was not letting go but before it got bad Dylan spoke knocking him out of it. 

"You're trying to get out right? Well, the easiest way is to go through the thumbs. They are the weakest part on the hand because they are all alone on one side while the rest of the fingers are on the other. So if you roll your wrists in that direction you should break free." Dylan said calmly. 

Daniel could not help the blink as he looked up to the man. Dylan gave a nod to the hands causing Daniel to look down and attempting once again this time thinking about what Dylan said. 

The next thing he knew his hands were free and Dylan was sitting there giving him a soft grin. 

"You let go," Daniel said feeling upset. No way should it be that easy. 

"No, you got out. Try it again" Dylan said grabbing Daniels wrists once more. Daniel could not stop the jerk of being grabbed or the few seconds of panic he felt as he fought the hold. 

"Remember Daniel," Dylan said sharply knocking him out of his panic. 

Taking a deep breath in he rolled his wrists and once again he was free. "But that's too easy" he mumbled looking at his hands. "You have to be letting go."

Dylan smiled holding out his hands this time,"Here try holding mine. As tight as you can okay?" 

Daniel took hold of his wrist squeezing and holding as tight as he could to show that Dylan must have been going easy. One flip and he was looking at his empty hands. "How?" 

"Simple body mechanics and physics can explain it fully, but it doesn't need to be hard. You want to try it again?" Dylan said holding his hands out. 

Daniel nodded grabbing the wrists again. No matter how hard he held on Dylan was able to get out. 

They switched back and forth a few times before Daniel felt he got the movement that he was not even panicking anymore as Dylan grabbed his wrists. 

Daniel got out with a quick twist before grabbing and pushing his weight into Dylan so he was on top holding his hands over his head. 

"Now what?" Daniel could not help teasing. 

Dylan chuckled pretending to fight the hold for a bit before slumping back into the wall. "Depends on if you want the easy out or not?" 

"Surprise me" Daniel taunted looking down at him. 

Dylan gave him a shake of his head before escaping Daniels hold and putting him in the same hold but this time laying down on the floor. 

"Now what?" Dylan teased back face close to Daniels. 

Daniel could not help the small hitch of his breath as fear started to take over at feeling the solid weight of a body on top of him but squashed it when he looked up to see Dylan's concerned face. This was Dylan, not Jared, he would let go in an instant if Daniel asked. 

"Danny?" Dylan asked.

The amount of concern in his voice pushed the last bit of fear away as Daniel surged up and kissed Dylan. Pulling back he found that Dylan had loosened his hold allow him to slip free and flip the two around. 

It seemed to wake Dylan from his blissed out expression as he started to chuckle under Daniel. 

"Good, your learning quick," Dylan said freeing his hands from Daniel light hold settling them on Daniel sides. 

Daniel could not help but give him a soft grin. "I have a good teacher" he replied. "But I think I'll only use that move on select victims" 

"Mmm, good idea. You don't want others to get used to it." Dylan replied before tugging on Daniels shirt. 

Daniel followed the prompting and leaned down to kiss the man again. Feeling a bit bold he started nipping and kissing down Dylan's chin before getting to the man's neck. Dylan gave a moan of encouragement when Daniel got to the spot where Dylan's neck met his shoulder. Feeling mischievous he started to work on leaving a large hickey there and by the time Dylan had noticed it was already starting to form quite well. 

"You little brat," Dylan said with a laugh pushing Daniel away from his neck but pulling him into a kiss to take away any sting in the words. 

Daniel gave him a grin before kissing him sweetly on the lips before getting up. 

"I should go start supper before Merritt decides to burn the house down," Daniel said looking down at the man. The man looked well kissed and the hickey was coming out nicely causing Daniel to grin. 

Dylan sighed bringing a hand to rub at the spot Daniel had placed a hickey. "It's already starting to show huh?" 

Daniel nodded unable to hide a grin while holding out a hand to help Dylan get up. The man did not seem upset at all, resigned but mostly amused. 

"Good thing it's sweater weather." The man said getting up with Daniels help but not letting go of his hand. He pulled Daniel close. 

"Now it would only be fair if I can reciprocate the same action tonight hmm?" he said lowly causing Daniel to shiver a jolt of arousal rushing through him. 

"Not now?" Daniel could not help wonder aloud. 

"Nope, you've got supper to make, now come on before the others lead a mutiny," Dylan said with a light tug. 

Daniel rolled his eyes but went willingly.   
_______________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it?
> 
> Sorry to everyone for the long wait. I know I said I would update in the middle of the winter holidays but life wanted to give me one last kick in the butt before the year ended and I was not in the right mind frame to write. With that in mind I am doing a lot better and I am still fully committed to finishing this story and all the side stories I promised for this story. 
> 
> On that note I fully believed that this story is one about healing so a future event that is much darker in regards to feelings and actions will be posted as a side story. You do not need to read that one or any of the nightmare scenes I will be posting to enjoy and know what is happening in the main story. 
> 
> Next chapter I am hoping to have out sometime next week depending on my work schedule. 
> 
> Thank you all, for all the kudos and comments left since the last chapter. It helped so much when I was not feeling like writing to see that there are people out there that like my story. It gave me the motivation to keep going. So thank you.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I'm a horrible human being I know.   
> Fear not this will not be abandoned. Life just got really crazy and I'm having a hard time getting back into writing. But I won't abandoned this fic. In fact I did a rough outline and we should have about 40 chapters by the end. 
> 
> This chapter has been beta by WildRose900.   
> None of the NYSM cast belong to me. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this,   
> Jade

Chapter 29

Merritt and Jack didn't act like anything was wrong when Dylan and Daniel came up. In fact, they just went about dealing with him normally letting Daniel relax a bit. Even Lula and Henley who likely heard about the last panic attack treated Daniel normally though Daniel did notice that they all seemed to stick around the kitchen even when they didn't need to. 

Dylan had taken to looking through some paperwork at the table while Henley had a laptop and was either watching YouTube or hacking into something. Jack had the tablet and was picking clothes out while asking the others for suggestions on different jackets while Lula was trying to nick some food when Daniel wasn't paying attention. 

Supper was stressful in its own way. The same meal he had made for Jared, the last time he cooked was the one they were about to eat now. 

Why did he choose this one he panicked quietly. He should have made something different.

Daniel couldn't even eat as he watched the other wearily looking for signs of disgust. 

Making the food was easy. The hardest part was teaching Merritt how to peel potatoes. But once he got it he seemed pretty proud of the fact. 

All in all, it should be a relaxing time but Daniel felt mentally exhausted by how closely he was paying attention to the food. When the team took their first bite he was hardly breathing not wanting to make a sound as he watched. 

Jack was the first to make a sound and it was of pure glee. Dylan had wide eyes looking at Daniel with amazement. While Lula and Henley looked for all the world like they were having the best meal of their lives. Merritt was staring in astonishment at his plate. 

All of a sudden a rush of compliments came forth but Daniel could not hear them over the rush of blood going through his ears. 

They liked the food, it was fine, he was good. He was fine. 

He did not even realize how fast his breathing was until Dylan grabbed one of his hands giving him a soft look of concern. 

"You like it?" Daniel had to force out, working on controlling his breathing. 

Dylan turned his look of concern into one of happiness. "It's wonderful Danny, perfectly cook and seasoned to perfection," Dylan replied. 

"Yah, you would never guess that I had a hand in making this" Merritt said shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. 

Daniel could not help but laugh in happiness. They liked the food. 

The other all started up with the compliments again but this time he was able to hear all of them. It was like a huge burden was off his shoulders that he did not know he was carrying. 

Jared was wrong. He could do this. He was good enough. 

After that, the meal progressed easily. Lula said she would do the dishes and Jack seemed a little quick in adding that he would help. 

The rest went upstairs to relax. Merritt was quick to grab the remote. Daniel did not feel like whatever sports thing Merritt was going to find so he grabbed one of the books from the bedroom that he had brought over from the library. He curled up in the corner of the couch opening his book while Dylan sat down beside him cheering with Merritt on their sports thingy. 

Henley decided to do some unpacking in the free room before coming out to join them. 

A peaceful feeling could be felt in the room causing Daniel to relax further into the couch. Dylan was beside him as felt through the material of his pants where their legs were pressing against each other. The book he was reading was interesting and his stomach was not ill from eating too much. In fact, he could almost forget about everything that had happened earlier that day. He could look to the corner of his vision to watch everyone but it was not needed. 

Jack and Lula came up soon after. Lula was quick to root for the opposing team that Merritt and Dylan were cheering for. Jack seemed to have the same tastes as Lula and cheered with her causing Merritt to give him a scandalous look. 

The cheering seemed to bring Henley out and soon Daniel was surrounded by cheering and light-hearted teasing. In an odd way, it was actually relaxing. No focus on him but no one outright ignoring him either. 

Dylan in a real cliché movement stretched, dropping an arm around the back of the couch. Daniel could not help but roll his eyes at the man before wiggling closer until he was tucked into Dylan side with Dylan's hand now playing with the short hair at the top of his neck. 

Jack had handed him the bowl of popcorn Lula and he had made while Merritt and Lula tried to steal it during the ads causing a little fight to break out but cleared up quickly with Henley popping over to grab the bowl while ruffling Daniel's hair. 

Daniel gave a grin to her as she played keep away with the popcorn from Merritt with Lula on the other couch. 

He was able to get through a couple chapters of his book by the time the game ended. After Lula called the remote and flipped the channel to a movie channel. It looked like they were doing a marathon of some tv show that Lula and Henley liked and they had caught it in the middle of seasons. 

Daniel had set his book to the side to watch feeling safe in Dylan's arms. The episodes seemed to keep everyone attention and were entertaining enough but sleep was calling a little bit stronger to Daniel as he slowly closed his eyes. 

Next thing he noticed was that is was quite a bit darker in the room. The tv was off and nobody was around. Dylan was moving out from under him which he assumed woke him up. What really surprised him though was Dylan moving to pick him up off the couch. 

"Wha?" Daniel said sleepily looking around the room grabbing ahold of Dylan's neck to stabilize himself. 

"Bedtime," Dylan said softly heading to their room. 

Daniel shrugged but held on. If Dylan wanted to carry him why should he fight it?

"You are still too thin," Dylan muttered setting him down onto the bed. 

"I ate" Daniel muttered. It's not like he wasn't gaining weight. He felt more solid now than the last few months. "Besides who's the one picking up full grown men? He-man?" He quipped. 

"I alway felt more like the Hulk, hidden rage and all" Dylan said rolling his eyes. 

Daniel couldn't help but chuckle. "Does that mean I'm Betty or Natasha? Because I don't know if I'd rather be a feared assassin or a genius scientist."

Dylan shook his head laughing. Daniel was happy to see Dylan laugh. A deep rumbling laugh that shook his entire frame. Daniel could not help but reach for the man pulling him closer. 

Dylan gave him a curious look but came closer. 

Daniel could not help pulling him into a kiss. Dylan was quick to respond bending down to kiss Daniel from between his legs. They spent a few minutes kissing before Dylan pulled back. 

"Do you want to try laying down with me on top or do you want to switch?" He asked roughly. 

Daniel eyed the man before kicking off his shoes and moving up the bed so he could lay down on the pillows. He trusted the man. 

 

\-----,,,,,,

Dylan's eyes widen a bit at seeing the trust in Danny's eyes. He crawled up onto the bed and over Danny. 

Being closer he could see the slight fear in Danny's face. The way the smile was tight, the way his eyes darted around a bit before settling on Dylan but he stayed. 

Dylan moved so his body weight was resting on his legs more as he lifted a hand to run down Danny's face. The man under him leaned into the caress the tight smile softening into something more natural. 

"You are so amazing," Dylan said softly letting his thumb rub over Danny's lips. 

Danny brought a hand up to pull Dylan closer to kiss him softly. "So are you" he whispered into his lips. 

Dylan slowly let his weight rest on Danny who moved his hands to settle them on Dylan's back, grabbing at his shirt. 

They stayed like that for a bit, trading kisses before Dylan pulled back a bit. 

"I still owe you for that hickey" he whispered roughly. 

Danny cracked a smile, "really?" 

"Uh huh" Dylan replied moving to kiss Danny's chin. 

"Well you better get started on that" Danny said tilting his head up so Dylan had easier access. 

Dylan leaned up pulling the man into a deep kiss before moving down his neck. Between Danny's moans of encouragement and his own desire to see his mark on Danny's skin, a nice size hickey started to show when he pulled away. 

"There now we are a matching set," Dylan said pleased with himself.

"I'm going to be stuck wearing a turtle neck won't I?" Danny asked bringing a hand to touch the spot. 

Dylan shrugged, personally he was alright leaving his in plain sight. He was proud that Danny wanted to be with him, but he could understand if the other wanted to keep his hidden.

Danny all of a sudden flipped the two so he was on top looking down. Danny started to chuckle almost sounding relieved in how light the laugh was and the crinkle at the corner of his eyes. He looked relaxed. At Dylan's curious face he explained. 

"You're just so relaxed about it. Jared didn't leave marks often but I was made to show them off. You? You just give a shrug and let me do what I want. I guess it just hit me that even after everything Jared did, my body is still mine. Not his, not the Huntress, not yours but mine. I know it sounds ridicules..." he trailed off. 

Dylan pushed up so he was sitting up with Danny still straddling his hips and legs. "It's not so ridiculous Danny, I'm glad you realize that. What made you see it, though?" 

"You didn't hold me down, if I said no you would have left it alone. You let me flip you. You are much stronger than me and could easily manhandle me but you don't treat me like I'm weak. I don't know, I guess I just realized that after everything. After everything Jared put me through, my body is not his but mine. I make the choices about what happens to it. It's... it's hard to explain." Danny ended with a shrug. 

Dylan gave the man on his lap a smile. "That's alright, I'm happy you realize that you matter. I love you"

Danny gave him a smile back, "me too," he replied before leaning in to kiss Dylan lightly. 

When Danny attempted to hid a yawn Dylan could not help but chuckle as he twisted so that Danny was on the bed beside him. His arms still around the man holding closer. "Sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow" 

Danny blinked once before tucking into Dylan closer before shutting his eyes. 

Dylan laid there for a bit just watching the man as he fell asleep. He will keep Danny safe. If it's the last thing he does. 

\----,,,,,,,  
Daniel only woke once in the middle of the night. He does not remember what the nightmare was but he remembered Dylan holding him close telling him he was safe. 

He must have fallen asleep within a short amount of time because the next time he woke he felt hot. Blinking his eyes open he found that the reason he felt so warm was the fact that he was wrapped up like a burrito with Dylan lying against him with the sun peeking out. While Daniel did not mind the cuddling he felt too hot and sweaty leading to the fact that he had to get out. 

It took a bit of work trying not to wake his bed partner but soon he was free and sitting on the side of the bed shaking his head. He thought for sure Dylan would have awakened but nope. The man could sleep like the dead. 

He decided to have a quick shower to wash away the sweaty feeling. Coming back out he saw that Dylan had stretched out into the sun his head tucked into his arm keeping the sun from his face. Daniel shook his head before grabbing his phone. He decided to snap a quick photo happy to see this side of Dylan. He looked around for the book he had been reading but it was not in the room. 

Figuring that it was left by the couch he gave one last look to Dylan before quietly leaving the room. 

As he stepped out into the hallway he could hear a weird noise coming from Henley's room causing him to frown until he heard Merritt's voice come from the same room before Henley made an impressive sounding moan. His eyes widening at the implications he forced back his laughter and headed to the sitting room. He couldn't wait to bug the two this new development. 

He was about to head back to Dylan when he caught the sound of Lula and Jack arguing downstairs. Frowning he made his way down trying to figure out why the two were fighting. 

Coming to the bottom of the steps he found Jack and Lula glaring at each other. 

"Uh what is going on?" He asked bringing the attention to him. 

"Nothing, just nothing" Lula grumbled leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind her. 

Daniel raised an eyebrow to Jack. 

Jack shrugged "Don't look at me man, I came down here looking for coffee asked her how she was and she practically chewed my head off." 

"What exactly did you say?" Daniel asked coming closer. 

Jack flushed a bit looking down at the table. "uh I might have said something along the lines of what's cooking good lookin?" 

Daniel frowned, now while what Jack said was horribly cheesy it should not have riled Lula up so what was going on? 

"I see, do you want me to go talk to her?" He asked. 

"Please?" Jack asked looking up to Daniel hopefully. 

Daniel gave a nod and went to follow the way Lula left. She had entered the main part of the building leaving him no clue as to where she disappeared too. Deciding to just take a direction and hope for the best he headed left being careful to listen in case she was in one of the rooms. 

It was not until half hour later that he found her down at the practice theater sitting at the end of the stage. Her head was tucked into her legs, hands tucked into her hair. 

Making sure to make his footstep heard he approached the girl wondering what was going on. Getting closer he could see her shoulders shaking minutely along with the sound of harsh breathing. 

"Lula?" He asked softly coming closer to the girl. 

All movement froze from Lula. "Leave me alone Danny" Lula replied dully not looking up. 

Daniel frowned, he was not leaving her. Not when she was acting the complete opposite of how she normally acts. He moved to sit up on the stage beside her, legs dangling against the stage as he looked out to the empty seats. 

"I said go away, not take a seat" Lula grumbled from her legs. 

"Huh, my hearing has been off lately. I should get it checked." Daniel replied looking up to the ceiling checking out the lights and narrow pathways. Definitely, an interesting set up they had going on down here. 

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a smart ass?" Lula said looking towards him. 

"Everyday, it's my middle name" Daniel replied looking over to her. 

Lula shook her head but went back to hiding against her knees. 

Daniel wondered who could out-stubborn the other. He had no idea what was going through her head so he did not even know where to start. 

"You're not going to leave are you?" Lula said after a bit. 

"Nope," Daniel replied restraining the urge to pop the end of the word. 

Lula looked up, "Why?" 

Daniel shrugged "you are a member of this team now,"

She frowned "so now you're going to follow me around like a puppy? I don't think Dylan would be too happy about that." 

Daniel rolled his eyes at the not quite barb  
"but your own puppy is likely whining in the kitchen wondering what he said wrong" Daniel replied. 

Lula sighed. "I don't think so, he's got Henley now." 

Daniel's ears perked up, now he was getting somewhere. 

"I don't think you need to worry about her, she and Merritt have this weird thing going on. Frankly, it's kinda disturbing." He said lightly. 

"But all last night and this morning it's Henley this or Henley that." She muttered. 

Daniel gave a small frown, "Henley became the group mom in a way. When we first started everything, she would hunt us down to make sure we ate, any cuts and scrapes she would bandage. If any of us were feeling down we would talk to her and she would find some way to make us feel better." He gave a low sigh "Jack in the beginning really did not know how to take her. After all, he had been living on his own for quite a bit of time with not one positive parent influence in his life. Once he realized that Henley was like this all the time he really started to come out of his shell. When she left he was hit really hard by it, she had practically adopted him, we all did. So it's not that he pushing you away for her but maybe he's trying to show you why she is special to him. In a way, it's like he's bringing the person he likes to meet his mom." 

Lula frowned looking to her knees once again. "And I went and made a fool of myself," she said softly. 

"How so?" Daniel asked. 

"By letting my memories get the better of me," Lula replied.

"Well, I guess you're in good company since that had been me the whole time you have known me," Daniel replied lightly. 

"But your issues are new. Mine isn't." Lula grumbled. 

"Do you want to tell me them then? I heard it helps to share." Daniel said softly. 

Lula rolled her eyes before looking to Daniel, "since when are you the counselor of the group?" She snarled

"Since I realized that my spot was being taken over by a black haired pip-squeak" he shot back. 

Lula winced, "yah okay, point." 

Silence came over the two. Daniel started to feel a bit edgy. He never liked prolonged silence during an argument, more so after Jared would use it to freak him out during arguments but he knew he needed Lula to talk first or they would never get the problem solved.

"Remember when I told you about some of my family issues? In particular, my mother stabbing my father in the neck?" Lula asked finally.

Daniel gave a small hum of acknowledgment and a nod. 

Lula sighed "well the phrase my father said before it happened was what's cookin' good lookin'."

Daniel's eyes widen in understanding but he forced himself to stay quiet. 

"My mom was suspecting that he was cheating on her. She had some issues, I think. Mental ones, paranoia being a big one. It just completely set her off. My father wasn't but we didn't find that out until after. Before all that happened I was told I look and act a lot like her. So when Jack said that and my own fear I just..." she ended in a shrug. 

"You didn't want to be her" Daniel said softly. 

"Yah" she replied softly. "I spent years trying to get over it. Of saying I'm not my mom that I won't succumb to insanity like she did but it looks like I'm more like her than I thought." 

"You didn't stab Jack so that's a plus," Daniel said. 

"This time" she replied harshly. "Admit it, even you wondered about my sanity when you first met me." 

Daniel sighed "I did but you are not your parents. You use your personality to make others laugh, and I don't think Dylan would have chosen you for this team if he felt you could be a liability. He's really through about that."

Lula looked to be contemplating his words, her eyes squinting at him before she gave a small shrug. "I still made a fool of myself in front of Jack" she replied softly. 

Daniel shook his head, "I don't think he would care about that. He was confused and worried about what happened. Best bet is just to talk to him and get it sorted out. Take it from me you can come up with a hundred different things he could say but you won't know for sure until you talk to him." 

"Learned that from experience?" Lula asked a bit more of her normal pep coming back to her voice as she lowered her legs down. 

Daniel gave her a look before looking out to the empty seats. "Dylan has been really patient with me with everything."

Lula gave him a small smile, "He's crazy over you, when he approached me before everything and I said yes he was quick to fill me in a bit about the team. He mainly talked about you. That's why I broke into your apartment. I had to find out who made a leader like Dylan turn into a lovesick fool. Gonna be honest you were not what I was expecting but once I saw you two in the same room I could get it. You fire him up and he cools you down. It's sweet." 

Raising an eyebrow at her Daniel replied "uh huh well you and Jack cause cavities. Honestly that whole thing at Iong's with the belt. I wanted to head to a dentist."

Lula rolled her eyes but chuckled as she got down off the stage. "Alright, I get it. Now let's go find our men." 

Daniel shook his head but followed suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? 
> 
> I don't want to say when the next chapter will be posted. I can just hope it won't take as long as this one did. 
> 
> On the other hand I wrote out a nightmare scene that takes place between chapter 1&2\. It will be posted soon.   
> It's quite dark and explicit so don't read it if you are not in the right mind frame.
> 
> Thank you everyone for the patience and the kudos. It honestly does give me the push to write when I see the emails saying I got kudos or a new comment so thank you.   
> Jade


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone   
> I'm alive!!!!  
> Here is the long awaited chapter 30. 
> 
> Many thanks to WildRose900 for beta'ing  
> And to a certain commenter coughThe_Firebirdcough for giving me a kick in the butt to get writing. Happy enough I have made this my camp Nano project so let's see how this goes. 
> 
> I do not own any of the NYSM cast.

Chapter 30

 

Stepping into the kitchen Dylan noted that Daniel wasn't there but Jack was throwing cards at the ceiling before catching them looking pretty glum. 

"What's up?" Dylan asked as he went to grab a coffee before sitting down. 

"I don't know. Lula was upset and took off then Danny went after her. They have been gone for almost an hour now." Jack mumbled not looking away as he tossed another card into the air. 

Dylan frowned. "I see. Well, then I guess we should work on finishing breakfast?" 

Jack gave a sigh of defeat but grabbed his cards and put them away before getting up and joining Dylan at the counter. 

"It's just so confusing. I thought for sure she liked me and when I tried to flirt with her more, she gets upset." Jack muttered as he grabbed the pancake mix Lula had started. 

Dylan blinked, "Ah" he replied unsure of what to say. He didn't want to get in the middle of his teams love-lives except for Danny's. 

"Danny's face pretty much said it was corny when he heard it, but I thought she would like it" Jack continued to pout. 

Realizing that he was going to be stuck in the conversation no matter what, he decided to jump right in. "And just what did you say?" 

"What's cooking good looking?" Jack replied with a wince. 

Dylan had to admit that statement was pretty bad but from what he knew of Lula he thought it would have gone over well with her. "Did she say anything to you?" 

"Not really, in fact, she almost had a deer in the headlights look. Then she started to yell telling me to leave and then Danny came down and she took off and yah" Jack replied. 

"Well, then I guess we will just have to wait until Danny or Lula comes back to find out what happened," Dylan replied not knowing what else he could tell the card man. 

"She likes me though right? I didn't misread that?" Jack asked. 

"Of course I like you Jack" Lula's voice rang out into the kitchen causing the two to turn. 

Lula was standing at the doorway with Danny behind her looking like he was holding back his amusement. 

Dylan watched as Jack and Lula moved forward, toward each other giving Danny room to slip inside and make his way to Dylan. 

The two youngest horsemen seem to be unable to speak causing Danny to sigh out loud. 

"Are you just going to gawk at each other or are you going to go talk? If it helps Dylan and I will finish breakfast" he said trying to look annoyed but Dylan could see the man's amusement in his upturned lips.

That seemed to shake the two of them out of it as Jack was quick to ask Lula if she wanted to go and talk in the sitting area upstairs between many apologies. Lula gave a quick nod and with a quick smile to Danny she grabbed Jacks hand and led him to the stairs. 

Danny let loose a couple of chuckles once they were gone before looking over to Dylan. 

"Morning," he said with a small smile. 

"Morning," Dylan replied. "So, what's up?" 

"You are it seems, what happened? It's not your normal wake up time" Danny asked moving a bit closer. 

"I was missing my bedmate and I came out to look for him" Dylan replied with an eye-roll. Honestly how can the man be so awake at this time is beyond him. 

Danny gave a slow nod of his head amusement dancing in his eyes. "I see, have you found him yet?" 

"Maybe" Dylan replied before leaning over to kiss Danny who happily responded. 

"Look, Henley, another set of love birds. It seems to be the season for them." Merritt's voice broke through Dylan's haze. 

"That it does Merritt, mating season must have just started," Henley replied. 

Dylan and Danny pulled back from one another, both going a little red but Danny was the first one to speak a little evil grin on his face. 

"Oh, it must have since you two were up pretty early enjoying your own mating season." 

Dylan could not help but blink looking to Danny before looking at the reddening faces of the other two. 

"Really?" Dylan said raising an eyebrow feeling a grin come to his face. 

"How did you..." Merritt trailed off looking shocked. 

"Let's just say I'm happy my room is not next to Henley's" Danny replied with a chuckle. "I could hear you both in the hallway" 

The two horsemen went redder as they looked accusingly towards each other. 

Dylan couldn't help the snort of amusement or the grab around Danny's waist as the showman laughed into Dylan's shoulder. This was hilarious. It seemed everyone on the team partnered up. Trying to regain a sense of responsibility he got ahold of his amusement before straightening back up. 

"Well, congratulations now that you both are up I'll leave breakfast in your hands." He said before tugging Danny away to the office. Henley surely can keep Merritt from burning anything. 

Danny had a raised eyebrow at Dylan's move but when Dylan shut the door firmly behind him before pulling him into leg weakening kiss he didn't seem to care so much. 

Pulling back Dylan let Danny lean against the door. 

"Not that I'm complaining but what was that for?" Danny asked between gasps of air. 

"Just missed you," Dylan replied bringing a hand to Danny's cheek. "Forgot to tell you but I talked to Li yesterday. He said that with me moving up I need to appoint a new head of the horsemen to take my spot. Seeing you look after the whole thing with Lula and Jack I know it's going to be you." he added. 

Danny blinked "What?"

Dylan gently pulled Danny to him away from the door and to the couch. 

Danny took a seat at the edge of the couch. If Dylan had to describe what Danny looked like it would be panicked. 

"Dylan explain, what are you talking about moving up? Are you leaving us?" 'Leaving me?' Went unsaid but Dylan could hear it louder than the words that were said. 

Dylan gently brought his free hand to Danny's face while the other squeezed the hand he was holding. "I'm not leaving you guys but Bradley promoted me to take his spot. I'll be watching over all the Eye's Magicians for North America. I won't be able to be in the midst of all the action with you guys. That's why I'm moving you up to take my spot as leader." 

"I'm not ready for that, hell hasn't this last couple of weeks been proof of that?" Danny screeched jumping up to start pacing. "I'm an egotistical bastard that got the team and myself caught only after making bad life choices for myself that we are still dealing with now. How can I be a leader if I keep having panic attacks and freaking out when someone comes after me?" 

Dylan sighed sitting up and catching Danny's hands to stop him from pacing. "You have been a major part in all the planning lately. You watch out for the team and make sure everything is running smoothly. You are a leader Danny. And you can lead this team and I'll still be there to help you." Dylan said softly. 

"What about us?" Danny said faintly squeezing Dylan's hands. 

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Dylan said pulling Danny to sit on top of him. "Not unless you want to get rid of me." 

"No" Danny replied quickly. 

Dylan gave a faint smile. "Then you have nothing to worry about." 

Danny eyed Dylan before giving the man a small grin. 

"So I get to be the leader? Does that mean I can get Merritt to stop trying to hypnotize me? Can I make him do the boring acts?"

Dylan gave a bark of laughter pulling the man into a kiss. "You can try," Dylan said pulling away. 

Danny chuckled, looking relaxed once more. Dylan liked seeing him like this. A soft smile, relaxed body language. He couldn't help gently pulling Danny into another kiss. 

They shared a couple more kisses when Dylan's cell phone went off causing them to break away. 

Dylan was slightly annoyed at the fact but he fished it out to see what was going on.   
Flipping it open he saw that it was from a strange number causing him to frown. 

"Who is it?" Danny asked. 

"I don't know" Dylan replied before hitting the answer button. 

Flicking to put it on speaker phone so Danny could hear he said "Hello?"

"Hello Agent Dylan, my name is Gabriella. I'm sure you know why I'm calling." A female voice rang through causing both Dylan and Daniel to freeze. How did she get this number? 

"I'm sure you are wondering how I got this number. Well, let's just say I got a couple good hackers working for me and they like to see me happy. So as you are aware I'm after Atlas. You guys stopped his training and I am quite upset about that. I'm willing to make you a deal though and my terms are simple. Hand him over and I'll leave the rest of the Eye alone. Fail to hand him over, well let's just say it won't be pleasant for anyone." She said filling in the silence. 

"I'm sure you are aware that I can't do that" Dylan said through his teeth trying to calm his anger. He glanced to the side to see Danny visibly shaking. He grabbed Danny's hand to give it a quick squeeze getting a shaky smile out of him. 

"Oh if you mean that little love display a couple days ago I assure you Atlas does not care the same. You see, my trainer was almost done breaking him when Walter whisked him away. He was quite in a state of wanting to please his superiors and of course, you are the closest thing he had at the time. I assure you any feelings there are, are only yours. Pets like Atlas care only for a kind hand." She gave a soft laugh like she was actually talking about a pet and not a human life. "He would have acted the same if it was somebody else," Gabriella said lightly. "If you don't believe me ask him about trickster" 

That when he felt Danny completely freeze beside him. Looking to him he saw Danny's eyes snap to the phone a low whimper coming from his throat. 

"Oh, it sounds like he's there with you. How is my little trickster doing today" Gabriella practically cooed. 

Danny yanked his hand away pushing away from Dylan and further into the couch. 

"What did you do?" Dylan seethed into the phone. 

"Oh, just a little trick to help with training," Gabriella said. 

Dylan knew he had to stop the conversation anyway he could, something was seriously wrong with Danny. 

"You are never getting him. We will find you and we will stop you and your little organization." Dylan said sharply not caring for the plan anymore, before pressing the end call button and throwing the phone far away from him. 

Turning to look at Danny he felt the man scramble away falling over the couch as he rushed to back up into a corner. Breathing coming out in panicky huffs, his eyes unseeing as he curled up into a tight ball on the floor. 

Dylan cursed lightly under his breath as he slowly got up off the couch forcing every nerve that wanted to jump up and get to Danny down. He needed to be calm if he wanted to help Danny. 

"Danny?" He said softly once near enough to the man to touch him but holding his hands away. 

Danny breathing got a slight hitch before his breathing became even harder. 

"Danny, I need you to calm your breathing, can you do that for me?" Dylan said softly. 

"No, no, no, no, no" Danny repeated over and over his eyes closed raising his hands to grab at his short hair making soft whimpering noises, freaking out even more. 

Dylan was feeling the panic rise inside of him. He has never seen Danny so lost in his panicking. He got up slowly knowing that any sudden movements could freak out Danny more as he moved to the door. 

He called softly to Merritt and Henley making sure to keep an eye on Danny but not letting them see him as they came up. 

"What's up?" Henley asked easily before they heard a low whine come from Danny. Both tensed up looking concerned. 

"I need you two to go run and get Mark and Li. I'll explain later but I need you guys to hurry." Dylan said quickly glancing back to where Danny was starting to pull at his hair harder completely lost in a memory. 

The two asked no questions, both running it out of the apartment. Dylan left the door open a tad so he could hear when they came back going back to beside Danny. 

"Danny, I'm going to count to ten, I need you to count with me okay?" Dylan said trying a different approach to see if he can pull Danny out of the panic attack. It physically hurt him to know that touching Danny right now might make it worse so he clasped his hands in his lap. 

He started counting, slow and easy and after the second round, he thought it wasn't going anywhere until he realized that Danny's small, soft whimpers were happening in time of the counting. 

"Can you say the words, Danny?" Dylan said softly before repeating the numbers over. He just got to five when he could faintly hear Danny saying the numbers with him. At ten he heard the banging of the door as Henley and Merritt seem to come back. 

"Keep counting Danny. I'll be right back." Dylan said before getting up to the door, grabbing his phone from the ground. 

He found the four all running straight at him so he quickly mentioned them to slow down. 

"What happened?" Mark said. 

"I'm not sure. I think it's a severe panic attack. I've never seen him have one like this though." Dylan said opening the door a bit. 

"What caused it?" Mark asked getting the message to slip inside. 

"Huntress Gabriella" Dylan said voice dripping with anger as he handed his phone to Li. 

The two horsemen and Li gasped. 

"She phoned you?" Li said taking the phone from Dylan going into the call log. 

"Yes, I want to find out how she got this number," Dylan said harshly. 

"Of course, I'll get a team right on it. Merritt, Henley I need your help, come with me." Li said spinning around and leaving causing the two to look at Dylan. 

Dylan was relieved that Li had asked for them to go, he knew Danny would not want them to see this. He gave a nod and Henley left right away catching up to Li. Merritt, on the other hand, stayed watching Dylan carefully. 

"Merritt before you leave can you go tell Lula and Jack what happened?" Dylan asked. "I don't think Danny wants anyone to see him right now so I would really appreciate if you can make sure they don't come barging in. 

"Of course Dylan," Merritt said before giving one last look at the door hiding Danny before taking off. 

Dylan gave a sign of relief before heading back inside the room. 

He found Mark sitting in front of Danny talking softly to the still hyperventilating man. He didn't seem to have any luck getting through. 

Coming up beside Mark he saw that Mark was trying to get the man to slow down his breathing but it didn't seem to be working either. 

Mark seeing that Dylan was at his side quickly nodded to head to a different corner to talk. 

"What's going on? Why is he so out of it?" Dylan asked unable to hold back his fear anymore. 

Mark ran a hand through his hair looking at Danny in concern "I don't know. I would almost say he's in some sort of alternate state. What did she talk about? What was said?" 

Dylan cursed lowly under his breath before remembering her words. "She knew if he heard the word he would do this" he muttered looking over with understanding to Danny 

"What? What did she know?" Mark asked. 

"Jared must have placed a word trigger on the word trickster or something, sometime in the last while. I had the phone on speakerphone when I answered the call. She told me to ask him about trickster. Until that moment he was, for the most part, alright. But after that, it seemed like a switch went off. She seemed to get a kick out of it calling him trickster like it is a dog's name or something. She said it made his training easier for them. " Dylan said. 

Mark's eyes widen, "That could be, that could also be why he keeps having the nightmares..." he trailed off looking lost in thought. 

"How do we get it to stop?" Dylan asked prompting Mark to look back at him. 

"Were you getting anywhere with him before I came?" Mark asked. 

"I got him to count. I've seen him do it once in a while. He will count cards when he stressed so I thought it might help." Dylan replied. 

"Go and continue doing that. It might help pull him back quicker otherwise we might need to sedate him. I need to go grab a book and talk to Merritt quickly. He might have advice to breaking this trigger" Mark replied moving to head out the door leaving Dylan. 

Dylan took a deep breath in walking back to Danny, he only hoped he could get through to the scared horsemen. 

\----......

Fear, panic, worry, scared. These emotions were playing havoc. 'Bad, untrained, need to be punished.' Daniel closed his eyes tighter, gripping his head wanting the voice to stop. 

"Danny I need...breath...count for...." a soft voice would break through the noise in his head causing him to whimper lowly. What does the voice want? Daniel doesn't understand. 

"One....two...... four....five...seven..." 

Oh, the voice seems to be counting in a rhythm, I can do that. Daniel thought once he could figure out what the voice was saying.   
He started to count in his head trying to block out the voices as he focused on counting. 

Slowly the voices quieted and he could hear the calm voice more clearly. 

"Can you say the words Danny?" the calm voice gently asked. 

Words? He can use words, right? He opened his mouth but he could barely breathe them out. The words sitting almost heavy on his tongue. He almost got it when the voice said. 

"Keep counting Danny, I'll be right back"

The warmth that was in front of him left so did the voice. He couldn't help the whimper. No, don't go. The voices started to come back and taunt him. None were nice like the other voice. All were harsh, hurting, painful. Daniel started to breathe fast again unable to block them out now that the nice voice was gone. 

He vaguely heard a different voice but it was not like the calm one. He wanted the calm one back. 

The voice left but he did not care. He wanted the calm one back. 

He pulled on his hair. What was wrong with him. Why did the calm voice leave? 

"Danny, I'm back, I'm sorry I had to leave." The calm voice said all of a sudden from in front of him. 

It was like the voices in his head all became muffled as Daniel latched on to the voice. 

"D...d..don't...t...l..l..leave" Daniel forced out trying to get the calm voice to understand. 

"I'm not leaving, I'm right in front of you. We are going to go back to counting okay?" the voice said. 

Daniel could do that. Counting was good. Once the voice started up Daniel followed making sure his voice was kept low so the other voice could still be heard. The angry voices completely died out after the third time of counting. His breathing had also calmed down a lot, making it feel easier to focus. 

"Okay, that's good. Let's try something different. Can you open your eyes please?" The voice asked. 

Daniel forced his eyes to open. The room was bright but it was almost like a shock to his brain causing him to quickly shut his eyes again and let out a low whimper. It was too bright, his head was hurting. 

"Here let me turn the lights off okay," the voice said moving away. 

"No!" Daniel said loudly before ducking his head in shame. He shouldn't yell, yelling gets hurt. Calm won't like yelling. But he didn't want calm to leave either.

He heard a click before Calm was back. Daniel could feel the body heat coming from Calm. 

"Okay the lights are off, let's try opening those eyes again?" The voice said softly. 

Daniel carefully opened his eyes making sure he was looking at the ground. The room was a lot darker causing him to relax a bit. Once he had his eyes fully opened and looking to the ground he almost felt a shift. 

"Danny, can you look up please?" The voice said in Dylan's voice. He remembered. All of the sudden the world seemed to shift back into focus. His eyes shot up to Dylan. 

"Hey," Dylan said softly.

"What happened?" Daniel said roughly pulling his hands away from his head. His head hurt something fierce and looking at his hands he could see blood on the tips of his fingers around his nails. 

"We are not sure. What was the last thing you remember?" Dylan asked coming a bit closer. 

Daniel thought back, the last few seconds almost seemed to be fading fast from his memories which concerned him highly. What happened to him. 

"Kissing I think? A phone call?" Daniel said softly looking around at the room trying to find clues. 

"Anything after the phone call?" Dylan asked gently which made Daniel even more freaked out. 

"No, it's all black, fear? I think. I was feeling really scared?" Daniel said trying to bring back some recollection of what just happened. 

Dylan nodded. "The huntress called. I had the phone on speakerphone. She said something and it must have been a trigger word to put you under. Like what Merritt does when he hypnotize people. From what it looks like you had a huge panic attack." 

"What was the word?" Daniel asked still looking at his slightly bloody hands. 

"I don't want to say it in case it causes you to relapse but it's a form of the word trick," Dylan said softly. 

Daniel nodded feeling almost numb. "So she has another way of controlling me" he whispered more to himself than to Dylan. 

"Mark is looking up ways to break it," Dylan replied. 

"I see," Daniel said before shaking his head and getting up. "I'm going to go have a shower." He needed to get away and collect himself. 

"Danny?" Dylan said getting up also sounding concerned. Dylan made to grab his hand before pulling back. 

Daniel grabbed the retreating hand. "I'm okay. I just... I just need some time to process this new problem." 

Dylan nodded still looking worried. 

Daniel bit his lip before moving closer and leaning over to give a small kiss. "Thank you for pulling me out. Of what I remember the most was your voice. It was calming." He said softly after the kiss. 

"I'm glad I got through to you," Dylan said putting his hands around Daniel and hugging him gently. 

Daniel rested his sore head on Dylan's shoulder for a bit before stepping back. "I'll be out in a bit, let me know if Mark finds anything okay?" 

"Of course. I'll be down here, do you want me to save some food from breakfast?" Dylan asked. 

Daniel personally did not feel hungry whatsoever but he knew he should eat something. "Something small, I'll eat more at lunch." 

Dylan nodded, "Okay."

They walked out of the room to see Jack and Lula sitting anxiously at the table. 

Daniel could not help looking towards Dylan, he did not want to deal with the two just yet. His nerves were just not capable of it yet. 

"Go have a shower," Dylan said softly pushing him lightly towards the stairs. 

Daniel hoped Dylan got the grateful look he sent as he made his way up the stairs listening to the faint sound of Dylan explaining what just happened. 

Daniel could not help sighing. When was he ever going to catch a break. 

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and the few comments it keeps me alive lol
> 
> So like I said above this is my camp nano project for the month so I hope to be getting more chapters out. 
> 
> Thank you everyone and see you all soon hopefully. 
> 
> Jade


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey   
> So here is a nice longish Chapter 31 
> 
> Thank you all for you patience and let me know what you think of it. 
> 
> Thanks to WildRose900 for beta'ing for me.   
> None of the NYSM cast belong to me.

Chapter 31

Daniel still felt dirty. He scrubbed at his skin harder making it go bright red under the hot water of the shower. 

He hated that it was just one more thing he suffered through with Jared and that he had no recollection of it ever happening. He alway thought he could not be hypnotized but clearly, they were able to do it, to put him in that state. It made him feel dirty and used. Like she and Jared was somehow in that room when he had heard the word that put him into whatever state he went into. A state that freaked Dylan out enough that he looked like he had seen a ghost. 

Daniel could not help the shiver that went up his spine. He could not help but think that they placed more words that could bring on a state like what he just was in. But when? Daniel does not remember any moments. But if they made him forget them then how would he know? How many nights did they do that to him? All those times he woke thinking it was just a rough night with Jared was it actually worse than he knew?

He wanted to scream, he was done with this. He hated that they had got so deep under his skin that they turned words against him. One of the few things he had to defend himself with and they turned it against him. 

He had hoped he would be able to somehow wash away the phantom feelings of their reach on him. All it's done has made his skin red, sore and worried Dylan even more. Sighing he gently reached up to check the crescent moon shaped cuts on his head. They felt small at least, likely to heal quickly. And when his hair got longer they shouldn't be noticeable. 

After gently washing the blood from around them he knew he should get out. Dylan was probably worrying and he has been in the shower for a good chunk of time now. turning the tap off he stepped onto the mat grabbing a towel and gently started drying his raw sensitive skin. 

He caught a glimpse of his neck in the mirror causing his to pause as he looked at the mark Dylan had left on him. It wasn't as big as he thought it would be. It sat low on his neck. Running a finger over it he felt a slight tenderness but it didn't feel bad, not like the memories of the bruises Jared left on him. 

This mark he chose. He chose to have it placed on him. It wasn't forced on him. He could not help running his fingers over it remembering how he felt when Dylan was giving it to him. Safe, protected, loved. Dylan did not let him down. He did not hurt him and that stirred something warm inside of him. 

Maybe it is weird but Daniel wanted more. He wanted to be with Dylan in more than just cuddling and kissing. Dylan would not hurt him. He knew that in his heart. But how would he get his body from freaking out when they started going a bit further? Last night was a huge step with having Dylan on top of him and not causing him to panic too much but even then in his head he still felt fear. No matter how hard he tried to relax some part of him was ready to fight or flee to safety. 

Dylan said he didn't care about waiting until Daniel was ready but Daniel did. He loved sex, he wasn't some prude that it had to be after such and such a time before having sex. Hell, he had more one night stands than most of his friends even if he was 'vanilla' as the other horsemen called him. Since meeting Dylan he had always imagined that being with Dylan would be quite the night. Now they were in a relationship one would think he would have the ability but no, Jared fucked that up for him and still is. 

Well, Daniel was done with Jared, Gabrielle, and everyone else messing up his life. This latest headache just proved it. He needed to get control or he is going to be living in fear for the rest of his life and that was not who J. Daniel Atlas was. 

Nodding to himself in the mirror he got changed, brazenly stealing some of Dylan's clothes that had become Dylan's after all the moving from safe houses. Daniel wondered when their new clothes were coming in. He himself didn't pick any out but Henley knew his style and he figured he could alway take Dylan's if needed until he had a chance to grab that tablet to place his own order.

Once dressed he looked into the mirror giving a soft grin at seeing the hickey peek out from the neckline of the shirt. He had considered wearing a sweater knowing he would be more comfortable but he wanted to push himself. If he could not stand not being covered he figured he could come back and grab a sweater or something. 

Stepping out of the room and into the hallway he could hear the horsemen talking lightly downstairs. Steeling his nerves he went down the stairs to find that is was just Lula, Jack, and Dylan. Merritt and Henley must still be helping. Looking at the clock he winced. He must have been in the shower for almost an hour trying to wash away Gabriella's phantom hold. 

The team was sitting at the table looking pretty serious. There were some papers scattered about the table that Daniel could see Dylan's writing on. 

"Hey," Daniel said sitting primly in the seat beside Dylan trying to project a calm attitude. Without really thinking about it he grabbed Dylan's hand which was tapping the table. Dylan seemed to freeze and his hand stilled causing Daniel to wonder what was up but moved on to look at the papers in front of the man. Dylan gathered them up with his other hand before setting them off to the side away from Daniels gaze. Daniel could not help but feel a bit hurt, Dylan would tell him if something was wrong right? 

"So did you two get your relationship sorted out?" Daniel asked looking at the other two trying to pull his own thoughts away from Dylan's attitude. 

Jack and Lula looked at each other before nodding looking at Daniel. 

"Yah, we are going to try it," Lula said with a happy grin leaning into Jack. 

Daniel could not help the small smile, "I'm happy for you." 

Jack nodded his thanks while Lula grinned before her eyes widen. "Danny, you're bleeding," she said getting up and moving towards him. 

"What?"

"Your head," Lula said grabbing a napkin to pressed against the small wound. 

Daniel blinked, "They are just small nicks, they should have stopped by now," he said moving to feel the wound. 

"Head wounds man, they like to bleed. You should go and see if Mark has something other than a band-aid to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, that would suck trying to pull it off." Jack said looking slightly concerned. 

Daniel winced when he pulled the napkin away to see the bright red blood staining it. "Yah," Daniel said getting up and placing the napkin back against the wound. 

"We can also find out if Li and Mark have found anything new," Dylan said getting up, pulling his hand away from Daniels grip and moving to the door. 

Daniel blinked at Dylan's sudden movement away. "Yah," he said softly gazing at the man. His hand held loosely by his side feeling lost without something to hold causing Daniel to tuck it around his waist. Dylan probably didn't even notice that he had pulled away. 

"Let's go then," Dylan said walking out of the room. 

Daniel stared at Dylan's back. Before the man was wanting to hold his hand and be near him, now it seemed the man was pulling away? Did he finally realize how messed up Daniel was? 

Daniel shook his head, No it's fine, he's just stressed. Daniel tried to reason with himself trying to shake the negative thoughts as Daniel followed Dylan out. He was over reacting that's all, it's been a tough morning and he hasn't eaten anything. That's all it is. 

Finding Li was easy. The man was barking orders at different people who were running in and out of his office while Henley was on a couple computers typing fast. Merritt must have been with Mark as he was nowhere to be seen in the busy office. 

Dylan went straight on with no issue but Daniel held back. He watched as Dylan weaved his way in between people looking completely at ease in the chaos. His past FBI training probably had something to do with that. 

Biting his lip he looked around the office before shaking his head. He will just be in the way in there. Giving one last look towards Dylan before backing away from the door. Dylan who had made his way to stand between Henley and Li talking low to the two, not even noticing that Daniel was not there. 

Stepping out of the way of another member wanting into the room he let out a sigh before going to see if he can find Mark. Dylan was where he needed to be, Daniel needing to talk to the doctor anyways. 

He walked almost aimlessly. Mark never mentioned where he was setting up shop here or if he even was. The only time Daniel had seen the man was with Li. Glancing into different rooms he found most of them empty. Daniel was about to call it quits, lifting the napkin from his head he found it was still slightly bleeding. Sighing he figured he may as well try the library to see if the man was in there before heading back to the apartment. 

Stepping inside he looked around thinking it was also empty before he heard Merritt's voice off in the back area. Wondering over to see if Mark was with him, he found the two at a table with books piled around them. 

"Danny?" Merritt said, concern lacing his voice as he caught sight of Daniel holding the napkin to his head. 

"Danny are you okay?" Mark asked getting up looking straight at the small injury. 

Daniel shrugged "Yah, I just nicked myself and it doesn't seem to want to stop." 

"Let's see," Mark said. 

Daniel pulled the napkin away showing the cuts on his head. 

"Hmm yah it looks like you cut into a small vein. A bandage would work but it would be a pain to pull it off with the hair getting stuck." The man mused "I got some skin glue that would work." Mark said after a couple careful prods to the area around the wound. 

"Yah that sounds fine," Daniel said eyes flickering over the titles of the different books on the table. They all had to do with hypnotism. 

"Stay here, I'll just go grab my kit and I'll be right back," Mark said grabbing a chair for Danny to sit on before leaving. 

"Are you alright Danny?" Merritt asked coming closer sitting beside the man. 

Daniel shrugged, he thought he was until his negative thoughts started to pop up again. 

"Have you two found anything interesting?" Daniel asked. 

Merritt sighed. "Yes and no, whatever that bitch and her minions did to you is pretty deep stuff. Even my hypnosis does not get that deep. Breaking it will take a bit" 

Daniel grabbed one of the books and glanced at the back. "Do you think there is more than one trigger word?" Daniel asked softly not really taking in what the back of the book said. 

Merritt frowned. "To be honest I don't know. If you were stuck with them for years most likely, but you are also good at fighting hypnosis. In fact, remember when we had to get that French guy to our first act?" 

Daniel nodded, of course he remembered. It was the first time he got to travel out of America and the first feeling of getting started on the actual plan. 

"Well remember how it It took us over a month to program the dude?" Merritt said. 

Daniel remembered the days of following the dude around. "Yah I do, how is that any different though?" Daniel asked. He was with Jared for more than* a month.

"Well, we were being nice and not trying to break him. With your case, they likely were not so kind. The extreme stress they were putting you under likely help hasten your responses to the different words." Merritt said. "I'm pretty sure it's the only way to hypnotize you." 

Daniel blinked. "What?"

Merritt sighed "okay so if you recall Jack and I tried to hypnotize you many, many times but it never worked? It's because you are, and I say this with the nicest of feelings, a control freak. You would not let yourself be controlled. Your brain was able to fight it, time and time again. Now the first time we realized you could be hypnotize was when Walter grabbed us using the fake pipe. Now correct me if I'm wrong but you were already under stress with the show and I know I was feeling stressed when we were running from the cops. Add to the fact that your home life with your abuser was not all that fun you were under a large amount of stress hence why you fell to it. If you didn't have any one of those factors you probably would not have. "

Daniel frowned, "So are you saying I can be hypnotized now?" 

"If I was to try to hypnotize you right now you will probably be your annoying self and not go under." Merritt said "most likely they too tried to hypnotize you and you did not fall to it the first couple of times cause your brain would not let that happen. So they kept increasing the level of stress and abuse on you until they could force you to accept being hypnotized to avoid more pain and abuse. In other words, they condition you." 

"Why don't I remember that then?" Daniel asked. "You think I would remember them at least trying?"

"Knowing them they probably set it into the hypnotism once you did go under. Most likely you will remember it as the hypnotism breaks down." Merritt conceded. 

"Great" Daniel said with a sigh, leaning back against the chair. "So what have you and Mark come up with? Anything about how to break it then?" 

Merritt sighed, "Well that's the tricky part. Everything we know on how to break the hypnotism is to put that person back to that state and break it from there. Unfortunately for your case to get you that deep is not going to be a walk in the park." 

"Cause you have to put me under so much stress to even get me there and my abusers did it while most likely sexually assaulting and beating me" Daniel finished looking up at the ceiling. 

"We are trying to find another way," Mark said as he came back to the table with his bag. Setting it down on the table before pulling the napkin away from the wounds. 

Daniel looked up to Mark "What if there isn't another way? What if the only way to break it is to.." Daniel trailed off looking away. 

"Oh he of little faith, we will find something. We are not going to be your next abusers I can guarantee that." Merritt said, his tone booking no argument. 

Daniel looked back to Merritt before looking away. He wanted to believe that but if it was the only way to break the hypnotism then what other choice would they have. 

"There, all done," Mark said stepping away. 

"Not bad, now if you just grow out your hair again it would not even be noticeable. On that thought, why did you shave it off? Thought you enjoyed your curly locks. At least it looked like it when I saw the price of your shampoo." Merritt asked. 

Daniel couldn't help bringing his hand to his head to rub at the short hair. "I didn't have much choice in the matter." He replied softly. 

"What do you... oh sorry," Merritt said with a grimace*. 

"For what? You didn't hold me down, neither did you hold a blade to my head. You don't have a reason to be sorry." Daniel said pulling his hand away from his head to clench into a fist under the table. 

"But we didn't ask either when I first noticed that your hair was gone I wanted to ask but I figured it was not my place" Merritt replied. 

Daniel slumped into his seat, the last thing he wanted was for his team to feel even more sorry for him. It was already way too much. "It's still not your place. Most likely I would have lied and my life would have still belonged to that bastard but we can't change the past now can we?" 

Merritt looked ready to respond when Daniel shook his head. "By the way, I think Henley was looking for you" he deflected wanting to get away from the topic at hand. 

Merritt eyed him before nodding and getting up. "I get that you don't want to appear less than magnificent but do recall that I'm not your enemy. I was just concern"

Daniel winced and with a nod replied "Noted, but I'm fine now or I will be." 

Merritt studied him once last time before leaving Daniel and Mark alone in the library. 

"What do you need?" Mark asked once the door was shut. 

"How do you know I needed something?" Daniel challenged. 

"Cause you lied to Merritt to get him to leave the room," Mark replied sitting back in his chair folding his hands over his stomach. 

Daniel sighed. He must have been too obvious but if he was then why did Merritt leave unless he was feeling sorry for him. "Do you know of a place we can talk where we won't be interrupted?" He asked wanting to get out of the room now. To get away from the team that was walking on eggshells around him it seemed. 

"Not in here. But I can take you to the other building where the trainers you asked for will be housed." Mark replied. 

Daniel got up "let's go then"

Mark nodded quickly writing a note down on one of the papers before quickly folding it into a bird or something similar and leading the way out of the room. 

Daniel watched as he grabbed one of the members that was helping Li in his office. "Hand this to Li," he told the man. 

The girl nodded before heading towards Li's office. 

Seeing Daniels confused look Mark explained "just a note saying that I'm heading out and I'm taking you with me. So your team doesn't get worried. With the phones compromised its best not to take chances." 

Daniel nodded before asking, "not my business or anything but you and Li?" He trailed off feeling his face flush. 

"Husband of three years," Mark said with a grin heading towards the front door. Seeing Daniel shocked face he laughed "I know shocking right?" 

"How? I mean uh sorry. Not my place to ask" Daniel stammered. 

"Don't be, it's alright. What do you want to know?" Mark asked as they stepped into the sunlight heading towards the garage. 

"Um, nothing really. I'm just surprised. I would not have guessed that you're married." Daniel said sitting inside the vehicle Mark pointed out. 

"Cause the lack of PDA?" Mark said with a grin. 

"Maybe, I only wondered because it's only since being here do I see you two alway together," Daniel said softly. 

"When we got together his family was highly against it. We learned to be quite conservative with our emotions around them and our teams as we had a couple people who were not exactly open to it either." Mark replied backing the car out of the garage. "It made for some tough years but we got through them. Li's grandmother was actually one of our strongest supporters. She made it so that with him moving up we can spend more time with each other."

"You guys get separated a lot?" Daniel asked. 

"A bit. My job is here in London and his is back in Asia and all the surrounding areas. We try to trade off who's visiting who and lots of phoning and video messaging." Mark said getting onto one of the main roads. 

"That must be hard," Daniel said thinking about being separated from Dylan. 

"We have had multiple fights over the distance but it's nothing a lot of communication can't fix. Along with chocolate, lots of expensive chocolate" Mark said giving Daniel a wink. 

Daniel gave him a small smile before looking out the window. Silence passed by as Mark navigated the city. 

"You and Dylan will get through this" Mark said suddenly. 

"How?" Daniel said looking back to Mark. "Already I think he's pulling away. What if he realized how much work this relationship is going to be? How damaged and used I am?" 

Mark stopped at a red light looking over to Daniel. "What happened?" 

Daniel looked away his arms tightening around his torso. "After Dylan was able to bring me back from being lost inside my head I went to go have a shower. I felt disgusting and wanted to wash away the taint of their hold on me. I was in there for over an hour I think. I don't know, I didn't look at the time. I made a pact with myself in the shower about that I was not going to let them control me anymore. I felt better after so once I got dressed I went back downstairs. There were these papers on the table where Dylan, Jack, and Lula were sitting. I sat down by Dylan and moved to look at them and he put them together and put them off to the side so I couldn't see them. Then when I went to grab his hand he froze and as soon as possible pulled away to go find Li." Daniel said looking up to the ceiling of the roof. "Once we found Li he went right in and didn't even look at me for staying by the door. I left after I realized I couldn't help anything and went to go find you." 

Mark hummed. 

"Maybe I'm being stupid but for the last little bit, he has not wanted to leave my side and now it feels like he is pulling away. What if the whole thing with the trigger word was the last straw?" Daniel said. 

"When's the last time you ate?" Mark asked. 

Daniel blinked "yesterday? I didn't have breakfast. I know but I've gone longer without food." 

Mark pulled into a driveway. "Yes, but the brain needs food to function and heal. It's hard to work out problems rationally when you're hungry. "

"But I'm not really hungry," Daniel mumbled getting out of the car. 

"Scared about throwing it back up?" Mark asked. 

Daniel looked away. That was part of the problem. How many times has he ran out because of everything getting to him and losing his cookies? 

"I'll make something easy and so you can just nibble on it then. Now come on, let's go check out your new training area and have a chat." Mark said unlocking the door.

Daniel sighed giving a short nod and heading into the building. 

..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes chapter 31  
>  I hope you all enjoyed it. 
> 
> Thank you all for the nice comments and for the kudos they are much appreciated. 
> 
> See you all in a bit.


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